Cambridge pokes a municipal finger in Big Brother's eye

Funny how people don't complain about the cameras installed by CCTV that are aimed into Central Square and often broadcast on the access channels. Those actually are decent resolution. If that isn't an "invasion of privacy," I don't know how these new ones are.

But what I also don't get is the arguments for them. If they are to be used by homeland security, then it seems pointless to have them produce images so grainy that subjects can't be identified. If we are to take the fire chief's word that they are to be used solely for 911 dispatchers, then, well...I'm struggling to see how information displayed will be helpful to dispatchers:

"Umm, yes, we have an object...most likely a person, but possibly...(*squints at screen*)...a mailbox, that's down on the sidewalk. It might have been shot, but maybe pushed, or perhaps it just fell. The street is gridlocked, so please do not send an ambulance. Repeat, do not send an ambulance. There's too much traffic."

Ah, another score for public safety.

Ironically our Reference Desk Department http://cambridgema.gov/~cpl/reference/ref2.html at Cambridge Public Library only references access to the 3rd last minutes of public meetings of our library board. Our Reference Desk Departments at our public libraries need better training and more regular supervisory staff development programs on information policies like intellectual freedom, freedom to read. It's a difference between a superficiality of providing the Reference Desk Department services rather formally but hostility to any questioning of unfair information practices if on occasion such turn up at the reference desk. A better library welcomes all enquiries and seeks to reference sources of information needed for the enquiries.