Used primarily in the beginning as a traffic-monitoring device, remote security cameras are becoming the weapon of choice in the war against terrorism and crime around the world. A trained technician can sit in a control booth and monitor cameras placed in many locations around the city and using his remote equipment, he can pan and tilt, turning the cameras at will to view an even larger area than would be possible with stationary security cameras. The latest spy programs on TV use these cameras to monitor good guys and bad guys having clandestine meetings in downtown areas. They can pan and follow two people who are walking and talking and when they've reached the outermost edges of the camera's field of vision, they merely switch to the next camera and pan and tilt all over again. While it seems far-fetched and makes for interesting entertainment, these cameras do exist and can be used precisely for that purpose. The uses these remote security cameras serve is two-fold. In the aftermath of a terrorist attack, like the recent events in the London subway system, those cameras could have noticed the packages containing the bombs used to blow up those trains. Then, the footage from other cameras could be used in reverse to see if the people responsible for leaving those explosive devices on the trains could be located. Furthermore, these remote security cameras are being used more and more to watch the habits of people in crowded areas, subway stations, airports and others to try to stop a terrorist attack before it happens. If someone enters an airport with a backpack, a trained technician sitting in a control booth far from the actual place he's watching could track this person's movements throughout the entire airport; so if he leaves his bag or does something else suspicious, it would be noticed immediately and dealt with quickly. All without the person being watched ever knowing he's being watched. |
