FRONTLINE "Are We Safer?" | Sneak Peek: Tracking Baltimore's Motorists | PBS

[toooooooooooooooool]

Fearmongering. The Bill of Rights does not grant you the right from surveillance in public areas. I don't get where all this "giving up liberties" talk comes from. The streets are public. People are free to take pictures of you and your goods, with(out) your permission. The only way you would be able to take any sort of legal action against private individuals doing so is if the pictures in question were published in the public domain.

[PupuTheClown]

,,good, maybe these new leaders will start placing cameras in your home, monitor everything you do, I don't see how thats giving up your freedoms, do you ?

[joe1977poland]

this is not scary. the scary IS the moment when judges start basing their decisions on those "digital footprints". Anyone that knows anything about "digital" world knows that "two copies are always the same". Hence IF officials want to bring you down, it will take them couple hours to forge your presence somewhere where you havent been. AND judge WILL accept that proof. End of the world as we know. from "give me the person I will find paragraph" to "give me a person I will produce their crime".

[joe1977poland]

awesome... while actually criminal statistics numbers for the state goes UP !!

[joe1977poland]

Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety!

[refink33]

No we are not anymore safer than before. It is the good Samaritans of this country: like the father of the Oregon would be bomber, who contacted the FBI about his son. Or the two gentlemen who prevented further death in AZ by tackling Jared Laughner. Crazy people are gonna do crazy shit. Good old fashion regular American citizen are the biggest help against violent crimes. Pres. Obama is more similar to Pres. Bush, than you might think with respect to illegal wire tapping and gov. transparency.

[RT378]

I'm prepared to sacrifice some 'liberty' in today's world, but this special is asking whether it is worth it in any tangible sense. I think that is largely unquantifiable, and should not be allowed to police a society. If LE wants to use the technology shown at the beginning to track serious criminals or terrorists, I have no issue with that, but using it to write tickets is not ok. I come from a police family, and there is a serious issue with accountability and violations in today's LE.

[throbbin87]

Those who give up freedom for a little safty...are no longer free... Read of Germany in the 1930's, you will see....

[ToolFan68]

What everyone should know is that CERTAIN CORPORATIONS, GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS, and FRIENDS OF BIG BROTHER are given exclusive EXEMPTION from license plate scanner technologies. This technology is going to be used to: A. Collect revenue to pay off the debt that the country supposedly owes (yes, local revenue goes there too) B. Track citizens in case of marshal law. Ask yourself... how did society thrive and function so well before we became SO AFRAID of THE TERRORIST BOOGEYMAN!! It's all a lie.

[beancube2010]

Everybody should have one like this so when people spot reckless police drivers they they can anonymously add them to public database distributing across the country.

[Ethiopiabuzz]

To me the USA government is like a drag dealer who always for look out .because he knows what his doing is wrong .

[Theuf28]

AGAIN, the ones that are respecting everything will pay for that technology, because of those that cant respect others and have a good behavior. SO, its not a obligation to have those way of spying on citizens, they dont find more criminals that way, thats all lies, to monitor you and what you are doing, conditioning you to obey the law and obey everything they are going to implement, if you notices, theres more Crimes and Terrorist act then ever before, WHY? because we are loosing our liberty

[AbsintheMindedMe]

We have truly entered into an Orwellian world where surveillance tech is being turned indiscriminately onto ordinary citizens for little or no good reason. The possibilities for abuse and the consequences of same should worry every thinking person.

[bynddrvn5]

I bet the hard core criminals knew about this technology a while ago.

Almost a year ago, I saw someone with a license plate that "disappeared" somehow it changed to all white with no numbers visible. He had a plate cover that obviously hid the plate.

Don't just rely on gadgets, we might miss something important.

[CanadianBeans]

Very cool stuff.  I love knowing people are using technology to keep me safe.

[Hkepfer]

Citizens need this technology too. Insurance, court evidence, protection for corrupt police & incidental capturing of 3rd party events.

Don't kid yourself this is necessary.

[pozzimystic]

camera's make us behave

[PhilWithCoffee]

Honestly, I think this is why crime is so bad. They spend so much time and money holding surveillance on honest people that hardly anything goes into catching and stopping real criminals. Seriously, last checked Detroit doesn't even have a forensic lab.

[slonamu]

The Big Brother is waching us. Anyone who gives away his freadom for safety deserves nether. The US govertnment is a bigger treat to Americans then any so called terrorist.

[31saint31]

The bigger they are, the harder they fall. Big brother is on the way down.