Tiburon, CA: We will record license plates of EVERY car driving in!
07-13-09, 08:01 AM
#1
Guest
Posts: n/a
Tiburon, CA: We will record license plates of EVERY car driving in!
07-09) 19:11 PDT -- Welcome to Tiburon.
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The posh and picturesque town that juts into San Francisco Bay is poised to do something unprecedented: use cameras to record the license plate number of every vehicle that crosses city limits.
Some residents describe the plan as a commonsense way to thwart thieves, most of whom come from out of town. Others see an electronic border gate and worry that the project will only reinforce Tiburon's image of exclusivity and snootiness.
"I personally don't see too much harm in it, because I have nothing to hide," commodities broker Paul Lambert, 64, said after a trip to Boardwalk Market in downtown Tiburon on a recent afternoon.
"Yet," he said, "it still has the taint of Big Brother."
Tiburon's camera idea is a marriage of technology, policing and distinct geography.
Situated on a peninsula, Tiburon's hillside homes and waterfront shops are accessible by only two roads, allowing police to point the special cameras known as license plate readers at every lane that leads into and out of the town of 8,800.
The readers, which use character recognition software, can compare plates to databases of cars that have been stolen or linked to crimes, then immediately notify police of matches, said Police Chief Michael Cronin.
If someone burglarized a Tiburon home at 3 a.m. one morning, he said, detectives could consult the devices and find out who came to town in the hours before - and who rolled out soon after.
'Very low-key'
"It's very low-key," said Town Manager Peggy Curran. "The whole point of license plates is that people can be identified by them."
If the Town Council gives final approval, Curran said, officials hope to install the readers on Tiburon Boulevard and Paradise Drive by late fall.
Tiburon plans to spend grant funds on the project and ask two other governments that could benefit from it to contribute to an expected price tag of $100,000 - the city of Belvedere, a bump of land on the southeastern edge of Tiburon, and Marin County.
Cronin called it a sound investment. He pointed to a frustrating twist in Tiburon crime: Residents feel so safe that they don't lock their cars and homes.
In all of 2007 and 2008, Tiburon recorded 196 thefts, 37 burglaries and a dozen stolen cars. The chief said every alleged thief who was arrested in those years was from outside Tiburon.
Finding suspects
Once the street cameras are installed, Cronin said, hunting a burglary suspect could be easier. "We'll look for a plate that came and went," he said. "That's going to give us a very short list to work on."
Detectives could then check to see if any of the cars has been linked with crimes in the past. Between 300 and 400 cars use Tiburon Boulevard to travel in or out of the town from midnight to 6 a.m. on weekdays.
"It's much more efficient than having an officer sit on the boulevard, watch passing cars and guess who might be a burglar," Cronin said.
Nicole Ozer, who directs policy on technology for the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California, isn't as supportive. She called the cameras a "needle in a haystack" approach that may waste money, invade privacy and invite unfair profiling.
"To be under investigation simply because you entered or left Tiburon at a certain time is incredibly intrusive," Ozer said. "Innocent people should be able to go about their daily lives without being tracked and monitored."
City leaders promise to prevent abuses. Information on which cars enter and leave town will not be available to the public, they said, and will be erased within 60 days. Police officers will be granted access to the information only during an investigation.
License plate readers have exploded in popularity in recent years, but Tiburon would be one of the first to mount them at fixed locations - and perhaps the very first to record every car coming or going.
California Highway Patrol officials have put the readers on 18 cruisers and at four fixed locations. CHP officers have seen a huge increase in recoveries of stolen cars since the devices were installed starting in August 2005, the agency said.
Devices help CHP
Through December, officials said, the CHP had used the devices to recover 1,739 cars and arrest 675 people.
San Francisco gave the devices to police as well as parking control officers, allowing them to track cars parked for too long in one spot. Some cities use the cameras to assess anti-congestion tolls on motorists, while casino bosses get an alert when a high roller - or a cheater - pulls in.
Outside Tiburon's Boardwalk Market, where a flyer in the window offered a $2,000 reward for the return of a stolen Pomeranian, residents seemed split on the plan.
Robin Pryor, 66, of Belvedere said the most important issue was whether the cameras made people safer.
"It's just like locking your door," Pryor said. "If they have reason for it to bother them, they shouldn't be coming in."
But Fred Mayo, 62, who lives in Tiburon and owns a travel agency in Mill Valley, said the cameras would invade privacy. "Where does it end?" Mayo asked.
He referred to the crime blotter in the local newspaper, which listed two incidents recently of kids tossing water balloons at cars, and noted, "It's not like Tiburon's a high-crime area."
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...MNT6189U0U.DTL
Click.
Your presence has been noted.
The posh and picturesque town that juts into San Francisco Bay is poised to do something unprecedented: use cameras to record the license plate number of every vehicle that crosses city limits.
Some residents describe the plan as a commonsense way to thwart thieves, most of whom come from out of town. Others see an electronic border gate and worry that the project will only reinforce Tiburon's image of exclusivity and snootiness.
"I personally don't see too much harm in it, because I have nothing to hide," commodities broker Paul Lambert, 64, said after a trip to Boardwalk Market in downtown Tiburon on a recent afternoon.
"Yet," he said, "it still has the taint of Big Brother."
Tiburon's camera idea is a marriage of technology, policing and distinct geography.
Situated on a peninsula, Tiburon's hillside homes and waterfront shops are accessible by only two roads, allowing police to point the special cameras known as license plate readers at every lane that leads into and out of the town of 8,800.
The readers, which use character recognition software, can compare plates to databases of cars that have been stolen or linked to crimes, then immediately notify police of matches, said Police Chief Michael Cronin.
If someone burglarized a Tiburon home at 3 a.m. one morning, he said, detectives could consult the devices and find out who came to town in the hours before - and who rolled out soon after.
'Very low-key'
"It's very low-key," said Town Manager Peggy Curran. "The whole point of license plates is that people can be identified by them."
If the Town Council gives final approval, Curran said, officials hope to install the readers on Tiburon Boulevard and Paradise Drive by late fall.
Tiburon plans to spend grant funds on the project and ask two other governments that could benefit from it to contribute to an expected price tag of $100,000 - the city of Belvedere, a bump of land on the southeastern edge of Tiburon, and Marin County.
Cronin called it a sound investment. He pointed to a frustrating twist in Tiburon crime: Residents feel so safe that they don't lock their cars and homes.
In all of 2007 and 2008, Tiburon recorded 196 thefts, 37 burglaries and a dozen stolen cars. The chief said every alleged thief who was arrested in those years was from outside Tiburon.
Finding suspects
Once the street cameras are installed, Cronin said, hunting a burglary suspect could be easier. "We'll look for a plate that came and went," he said. "That's going to give us a very short list to work on."
Detectives could then check to see if any of the cars has been linked with crimes in the past. Between 300 and 400 cars use Tiburon Boulevard to travel in or out of the town from midnight to 6 a.m. on weekdays.
"It's much more efficient than having an officer sit on the boulevard, watch passing cars and guess who might be a burglar," Cronin said.
Nicole Ozer, who directs policy on technology for the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California, isn't as supportive. She called the cameras a "needle in a haystack" approach that may waste money, invade privacy and invite unfair profiling.
"To be under investigation simply because you entered or left Tiburon at a certain time is incredibly intrusive," Ozer said. "Innocent people should be able to go about their daily lives without being tracked and monitored."
City leaders promise to prevent abuses. Information on which cars enter and leave town will not be available to the public, they said, and will be erased within 60 days. Police officers will be granted access to the information only during an investigation.
License plate readers have exploded in popularity in recent years, but Tiburon would be one of the first to mount them at fixed locations - and perhaps the very first to record every car coming or going.
California Highway Patrol officials have put the readers on 18 cruisers and at four fixed locations. CHP officers have seen a huge increase in recoveries of stolen cars since the devices were installed starting in August 2005, the agency said.
Devices help CHP
Through December, officials said, the CHP had used the devices to recover 1,739 cars and arrest 675 people.
San Francisco gave the devices to police as well as parking control officers, allowing them to track cars parked for too long in one spot. Some cities use the cameras to assess anti-congestion tolls on motorists, while casino bosses get an alert when a high roller - or a cheater - pulls in.
Outside Tiburon's Boardwalk Market, where a flyer in the window offered a $2,000 reward for the return of a stolen Pomeranian, residents seemed split on the plan.
Robin Pryor, 66, of Belvedere said the most important issue was whether the cameras made people safer.
"It's just like locking your door," Pryor said. "If they have reason for it to bother them, they shouldn't be coming in."
But Fred Mayo, 62, who lives in Tiburon and owns a travel agency in Mill Valley, said the cameras would invade privacy. "Where does it end?" Mayo asked.
He referred to the crime blotter in the local newspaper, which listed two incidents recently of kids tossing water balloons at cars, and noted, "It's not like Tiburon's a high-crime area."
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...MNT6189U0U.DTL
07-13-09, 08:26 AM
#3
"I personally don't see too much harm in it, because I have nothing to hide," commodities broker Paul Lambert, 64, said after a trip to Boardwalk Market in downtown Tiburon on a recent afternoon.
In all of 2007 and 2008, Tiburon recorded 196 thefts, 37 burglaries and a dozen stolen cars. The chief said every alleged thief who was arrested in those years was from outside Tiburon.
Giving every house a shotgun would be a better crime fighter than this.
07-13-09, 08:54 AM
#5
typical freedom giving up sheep response to new laws
so let me get this straight, a multi million dollar system is justified for this massively low crime rate over 2 years? Criminals will just change license plates like they already do, this is even more incentive for them to do it.
Giving every house a shotgun would be a better crime fighter than this.
so let me get this straight, a multi million dollar system is justified for this massively low crime rate over 2 years? Criminals will just change license plates like they already do, this is even more incentive for them to do it.
Giving every house a shotgun would be a better crime fighter than this.
They should make a SAFE ISLAND....for all those people scared of their own shadow and want someone to control their life to live and be 'safe'.
Maybe open up alcatraz for them
07-13-09, 09:33 AM
#6
Lexus Fanatic
I see it 3 house down the street from my house.
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07-13-09, 11:37 AM
#8
Lexus Fanatic
iTrader: (20)
no. theoretically giving up 'privacy' isn't giving up freedom. what's the difference between these cameras and the THOUSANDS in new york city capturing just about everything going on?
because most criminals are not that bright.
this is san fran area we're talking about. 
so let me get this straight, a multi million dollar system is justified for this massively low crime rate over 2 years? Criminals will just change license plates like they already do, this is even more incentive for them to do it.
Giving every house a shotgun would be a better crime fighter than this.
07-13-09, 12:03 PM
#9
Lexus Fanatic
I'll be there for 2 days in September, and I won't be worried about it. It's a beautiful bayfront setting with a view of SF skyline. On OT, for a car enthusiast, it's a treat too.
07-13-09, 02:13 PM
#11
Guest
Posts: n/a
For a subdivision its fine if residents agree to it. I have a huge issue with it in PUBLIC. Its basically saying "you are probably going to do something so we are going to mark you". I mean WTF?!?!
What if cyber theives mess with the info or steal it? Worse, what if they can break in and track your every movement from the system the government put in place. THEY ARE BEING HELPED!!!
Our founding fathers did not fight for independence so we could turn into a police state!!!
What if cyber theives mess with the info or steal it? Worse, what if they can break in and track your every movement from the system the government put in place. THEY ARE BEING HELPED!!!
Our founding fathers did not fight for independence so we could turn into a police state!!!
07-13-09, 03:34 PM
#13
Out of Warranty
If they want to automate their "law enforcement", I would suggest the following:
Robosaurus: he may still be up for sale!
Ahnold may be looking for a night job too!
Who needs police or even a neighborhood watch. Speaking of which, you could offset the lease costs by selling tickets.
Robosaurus: he may still be up for sale!
Ahnold may be looking for a night job too!
Who needs police or even a neighborhood watch. Speaking of which, you could offset the lease costs by selling tickets.
07-13-09, 04:01 PM
#14
Guest
Posts: n/a
If they want to automate their "law enforcement", I would suggest the following:
Robosaurus: he may still be up for sale!
Ahnold may be looking for a night job too!
Who needs police or even a neighborhood watch. Speaking of which, you could offset the lease costs by selling tickets.
Robosaurus: he may still be up for sale!
Ahnold may be looking for a night job too!
Who needs police or even a neighborhood watch. Speaking of which, you could offset the lease costs by selling tickets.
07-13-09, 07:14 PM
#15
Lexus Champion
One of my favorite quotes:
They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. ~Benjamin Franklin, Historical Review of Pennsylvania, 1759
They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. ~Benjamin Franklin, Historical Review of Pennsylvania, 1759