Ubiquitous public surveillance puts urban residents often on camera





See these recent Houston crimes caught on tape ...

ABOVE: Security officers Mae Hall, right, and Gustavo Elguezabal monitor the security cameras, which include cameras around the University of Houston main campus and the Sugar Land campus, inside the University of Houston Police Department virtual patrol room on Houston on Tuesday, June 9, 2009, in Houston. One security expert says a person may be on camera up to 90 percent of the time they are in public. Video cameras can be valuable to law enforcement.ABOVE: Security officers Mae Hall, right, and Gustavo Elguezabal monitor the security cameras, which include cameras around the University of Houston main campus and the Sugar Land campus, inside the University of Houston Police Department virtual patrol room on Houston on Tuesday, June 9, 2009, in Houston. less



See these recent Houston crimes caught on tape ...

ABOVE: One security expert says a person may be on camera up to 90 percent of the time they are in public. Video cameras can be valuable to law enforcement.ABOVE: ... more Photo: Julio Cortez, . Photo: Julio Cortez, . Image 1 of / 36 Caption Close Ubiquitous public surveillance puts urban residents often on camera 1 / 36 Back to Gallery

If you're reading this while standing in line at a big box store or bank, you're being watched.

The surveillance may not be live, but a security camera is recording your presence. Improvements in technology have made high-quality cameras cheaper to buy and easier to install and monitor, making them increasingly prevalent at U.S. businesses and public institutuions.

"The chances of being seen (on camera) in a commercial area are almost 100 percent," said Joe Freeman, chief executive officer of JP Freeman LLC, a security consulting firm in Newtown, Conn.

"At corporate chain stores, you will be viewed in the parking lot, going into the store, several times in the store and at the checkout," said Freeman, former chief operating officer of Wells Fargo's security service. "The trend in retail is not only to watch the shoppers but also to watch the employees."

Houston is similar to other large U.S. cities, said J. Patrick (Pat) Murphy, president of LPT Security Consulting in Houston.

"The density of cameras is such that I would say very comfortably you're probably on somebody's camera somewhere 90 percent of the time," Murphy said.

As good security cameras have gotten cheaper, they've also gotten smaller.

Some large retail chains place "pinhole" cameras about the size of a pencil eraser at their store exits, Murphy said. They're at face level, to photograph anyone who might take merchandise out of the store without paying.

Common areas where you may be recorded Traffic intersections

Public or employee parking lots

Store parking lots

Store entrance and exits

Cash registers

Sports stadiums and civic centers

Convenience stores

Government buildings

Some schools

Because cameras are so prevalent, retailers don't consider them to be crime deterrents, but they can be a source of evidence against an alleged shoplifter, said Murphy, who has worked in law enforcement, security management and loss prevention since 1975.

"We're such a camera-rich environment that nobody gives it a second thought," Murphy said. "At the places where we shop or bank, there's really an expectation there should be cameras in place."

All of Houston's 282 schools have security cameras, a total of about 13,000 cameras, said Houston Independent School District spokeswoman Sheleah Reed. The number per school varies, with primary coverage given to entrances, exits, hallways, common areas and bathroom entrances, she said.

Dennis Storemski, director of the Mayor's Office of Public Safety and Homeland Security, said Houston installed 180 cameras downtown earlier this year, completing a project that began about five years ago. Altogether, the federal grant paid for about 650 cameras on poles in several locations with pedestrian traffic, he said.

In addition to downtown, the cameras are in the Texas Medical Center, along Metro's Main Street light rail line, on Washington Avenue, in Tinsley Park near Buffalo Bayou trails, around NRG Stadium and around BBVA Compass Stadium, Storemski said.

"We started doing the cameras because, based on what we've seen throughout the world, when you have suicide bombings, people tend to do it in highly populated areas, especially where you have pedestrian traffic or critical infrastructure," he said.

The cameras are also used in regular crime prevention and control, he said. The Houston Police Department can monitor the cameras in real time during events such as parades, festivals and major sports activities, he said.

Because the cameras were paid for with funding from the Department of Homeland Security, it was necessary to place them in places that could be affected by terrorism, he said.

"We used them very effectively when we had the Final Four," he said referring to the National Collegiate Athletic Association's basketball championship in March.

Murphy, however, maintains that security cameras don't prevent crime. He cited a 2008 study by the University of California at Berkeley, which showed that San Francisco's cameras, first installed in 2005, failed to prevent or reduce violent crime, including homicides.

But they are a potential source of evidence when crimes are committed, he said.

"They've become wonderful witnesses," Murphy said.

Convenience stores in Houston are required by city ordinance to have two security cameras outside the store, which he says is testament to their value as evidence.

"An owner may not want to spend the money, but the city mandates it because they know the benefit of evidence," he said. "They clearly understand it's not going to be a deterrent."