Video Surveillance
Do you have the feeling that you’re being watched at certain times? That’s probably because you are – if you are in a public place of course. I say public place meaning places such as elevators, schools, airports, public transit stations, stores, and streets – basically anywhere but your home. Sure, this feeling can be uneasy, perhaps go as far as to make you feel uncomfortable but video surveillance is a necessary precaution and the invasion of privacy is worth it for our safety. So what makes this “invasion of privacy” worth it? Well , video surveillance definitely has a lot of pros. Video surveillance creates a piece of mind, prevents things from being lost/misplaced, it acts as a crime deterrent, it aids in solving crimes, and it also helps retrace the last steps of people who go missing. The issue of video surveillance being an invasion of privacy is kind of pointless considering the fact that privacy is something you probably will not get in public. Many people use the point of video surveillance being an invasion of privacy against the notion to have video surveillance in public places because they essentially think that privacy is more important than safely, when in reality it really isn’t. Video surveillance allows people to have peace of mind when they are in public places because they know the benefits of video surveillance and truly believe video surveillance is a necessity, as do I. Video surveillance just allows for people to feel safer in public places because essentially there is someone watching. According to a recent survey “96% of people support the use of video surveillance in public places by the government and law enforcement agencies” (Harris Poll). Clearly video surveillance is greatly appreciated considering that only 4% of the people surveyed disagree with surveillance cameras in public places. Everyone has that day where something just disappears, but with video surveillance this can be avoided. Video surveillance helps to prevent
Cited: “ Arguments for Video Surveillance.” CCTV Blog. Dec. 2009. CCTV. 20 Feb. 2012 “Harris Poll.” 20 Feb. 2012 “NYC foiled terror attack highlights importance of video surveillance.” May 2010. Government Security News. 20 Feb. 2012 “Video Surveillance for Department Stores.” 20 Feb. 2012