By Raul Hernandez
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This has been going on for years but nothing was done because not as many cameras were rolling to capture the action.
But now, almost daily, a video records a cop abusing his power or using the United States Constitution as a door mat.
There is a simple solution to curb a lot of this abuse. I emailed Obama at the White House, offering one.
No, I am not a fool and believe that someone in the White House actually takes any of these millions of emails seriously, even though, I venture to say, many offer creative solutions to serious problems facing the nation.
While I wait for Obama t0 call, I thought I’d share my solution on how to deal with Exhibit A above: The pompous ass with the gun and badge that was out-to-lunch when everybody raised their right hands and swore to protect and serve.
Here is my solution, and it’s not that complicated: Give people a $200 tax credit for putting a security camera outside their houses to protect their property.
The cameras would also capture cops abusing citizens or citizens lying about the abused by police.
There are no privacy issues in setting up these cameras because they are on private property.
A $500 tax credit could be given to businesses who put security cameras outside their businesses.
Some TV reality crime shows have detectives being able to capture a crime with the help of private cameras. Or the cameras recorded a suspect at the crime scene.
The problem with these cameras, however, is that the cameras are old and so, the recording is usually of poor quality. So offering a higher tax credit would mean better cameras, and ultimately, the business community and the community as a whole would benefit.
New Car Manufacturers and Cameras
Also why haven’t new car manufacturers made the installation of tiny cameras a new-car option. People can get a navigation or DVD systems as options on new cars and trucks. New car buyers should be able to pay additional costs for the installation of these cameras.
Again, new car buyers can chose to buy the cameras if they want them, and there are no privacy issues involved.
How would cameras be a big plus?
This is what vehicle security cameras can record: police traffic stops, road rage, car burglaries, teen-aged driving habits, car accidents, dangerous road conditions and whether your teen-aged son or daughter actually made it to the library instead of going to the mall or a friend’s house.
They can also record crimes like bank robberies in progress, unsafe or bad driving around schools, the abduction of children and dozens of other things.
Burglars Will Be Cautious
A burglar looking for a house in a neighborhood to burglarize will start to look at rooftops and if he see cameras, the criminal will probably go to another neighborhood where there are one or two or none.
Subscribing to a Camera Home and Car Security Service
People who want the cameras for the inside and outside of their vehicles could also subscribe to a camera security service for $10 a month.
The video recording can immediately go up the Cloud, so to speak, where it can be stored and can be immediately downloaded to workplace or home computers or to a cell phone.
The subscriber will get a Camera Security sticker a little larger than a quarter. The sticker could be put in the front or the back of a windshield or both. The stickers can also be put on the window of a house, stating that cameras are in use.
The sticker tells people that they are being video recorded.
How will it prevent Exhibit A from acting unprofessional?
Well, in most cases, if a police officer knows that his or her conduct is being video and audio recorded and this recording could be uploaded to Youtube, the officer will probably be careful about what he says or how he conducts himself.
Why not also post video/audio recording of cops being professional, friendly and helpful? This will encourage this kind of behavior.
These video-audio recording can have another purpose: Used in court for juries to determine whether a cop was abusive or whether a citizen is lying to get a police officer in trouble.
Court cases will be more quickly resolved if more video recordings were used in court. This means it will cost the taxpayer less money to pay for cases that linger for months and years in the criminal justice system.
It’s not that complicated – offer an incentive for people to protect themselves, their families and the community as a whole and hundreds of thousands of cameras will begin to pop up on cars and houses across the country.
Meanwhile, I will be sitting by my cell phone waiting for a call from Obama.