On 4/28/2017 3:47 AM, Leroy N. Soetoro wrote:
http://www.opb.org/news/article/port...-surveillance-
camera-registry/?google_editors_picks=true

The Portland Police Bureau is asking homeowners and businesses with
security cameras to register them — so cops can quickly investigate
crimes.
For years, when police turned up at a crime scene, they looked around for
security camera footage.

But Portland Police spokesperson Sgt. Pete Simpson says nowadays cameras
can be so small they’re hard to pick out. “What that does is it allows
investigators to know where to look for cameras if they have an
investigation in a particular area,” he said.

“What that does is it allows investigators to know where to look for
cameras if they have an investigation in a particular area,” he said.

“For example, if there’s a burglary at a business, the business itself may
not have images or cameras available, but perhaps area businesses or
residents would have images that would be helpful in solving the case.”

Simpson said many more people have cameras now, too.

Police say the registry program is voluntary and cameras can be removed
from the registry at any time.

Also, registering doesn’t mean police have automatic access to footage on
the cameras.

Some privacy groups have spoken out against the idea, saying it
contributes to a feeling that Big Brother is always watching.

Police in several other Oregon cities, including Medford and Beaverton,
are already registering security cameras.


Seems like a sensible, cost-saving idea to me. Nothing Gestapo about it.
And it is voluntary.