Search results

The growth of police operated surveillance cameras has out-paced the ability of humans to monitor them effectively. Computer vision is a possible solution. An ongoing research project on the application of computer vision within a municipal police department is described. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Following the demystification of computer vision technology, its potential for police agencies is developed within a focus on computer vision as a solution for two common surveillance camera tasks (live monitoring of multiple surveillance cameras and summarizing archived video files). Three unaddressed research questions (can specialized computer vision applications for law enforcement be developed at this time, how will computer vision be utilized within existing public safety camera monitoring rooms, and what are the system-wide impacts of a computer vision capability on local criminal justice systems) are considered.

Despite computer vision becoming accessible to law enforcement agencies the impact of computer vision has not been discussed or adequately researched. There is little knowledge of computer vision or its potential in the field.

This paper introduces and discusses computer vision from a law enforcement perspective and will be valuable to police personnel tasked with monitoring large camera networks and considering computer vision as a system upgrade.

To discuss and review the shift to computer enhanced self‐monitoring CCTV surveillance systems of public spaces and the social implications of this shift.

A review of the research and evaluation literature concerning CCTV surveillance systems culling out the history of public space CCTV systems and the concerns associated with first and second generation CCTV surveillance.

The main difference between first and second generation surveillance is the change from a “dumb camera” that needs a human eye to evaluate its images to a computer‐linked camera system that evaluates its own video images. Second generation systems reduce the human factor in surveillance and address some of the basic concerns associated with first generation surveillance systems such as data swamping, boredom, voyeurism, and profiling. Their enhanced capabilities, though, raise new concerns, particularly the expansion of surveillance and its intrusiveness.

Additional research is needed to assess CCTV surveillance on a set of social dynamics such as informal guardianship activities by citizens.

The adoption of computer‐enhanced CCTV surveillance systems should not be an automatic response to a public space security problem and their deployment should not be decided simply on the technology's availability or cost.

This paper provides a concise overview of the concerns associated with first generation CCTV surveillance and how the evolution of computer‐enhanced CCTV surveillance systems will alter and add to these concerns. For researchers it details research questions that need to be addressed. For practitioners and government officials considering the use of public space CCTV surveillance it provides a set of issues that should be considered prior to system adoption or deployment.

Purpose: Drawing on research in crime and media studies, this research examines media images and stereotypes of criminals within the popular television crime drama series Bones. Methodology/approach: All 24 episodes of Season 9 were examined. Through a content analysis offender gender, race, age, offense type, and motive were examined. Findings: This research revealed that most of the images do not reflect the reality of crime and criminals. Gendered and racialized images were revealed. While male minorities’ victimization was more accurately portrayed, White females were cast in the stereotype as the emotional offender and minority females’ criminality was portrayed as similar to male criminals.

Examines the effect of weather and temporal factors on the total calls for service (CFS) at the Minneapolis Police Department. Aims at the eventual development of an instrument to predict short‐term variations in CFS over time ‐ a goal which at present is unique. Finds that CFS increase at times when individuals have less habitual routine activities, e.g. after dark; during vacation months. Suggests that temporal factors have much more impact than the weather. Points out some practical implications for the criminal justice system, e.g., future schedules can be adjusted for temporal variations, thus helping in the deployment of officers. Shows that accurate prediction of the overall number of CFS is possible when temporal and weather factors are used.

This chapter draws on feminist theorizing on rape culture and victim blaming, and proposes a concept, racialized victim blaming, as a useful tool for understanding discourse on state violence.

The concept of racialized victim blaming is applied to historically analyze the genesis of the carceral state, and deconstruct public debates on police shootings and immigration crises.

This chapter argues that racialized victim blaming is used as a discursive tool to legitimize and mystify state violence projects. Officials and the media use racialized logics and narratives to blame the victims of state violence for their own suffering, justifying continued or increased state violence.

The concept of victim blaming is most often associated with violence against women. Here I demonstrate that victim blaming is also a useful tool for understanding state violence, particularly when attention is given to the place of racializing narratives.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the potential and adoption of closed-circuit television (CCTV) surveillance-based security system (hereafter “CCTV”) for enhancing the security of library materials in academic libraries of universities (central, state, deemed and private) and prestigious institutions such as Indian Institutes of Technology and Indian Institutes of Management in a developing country, i.e. India. The study also overviewed the CCTV policies of the studied libraries of universities/institutions as they relate to the ethical aspects of the surveillance system.

Structured questionnaire was designed and distributed among librarians of 24 academic libraries covering each zone of India in October 2019 in both physical and online manner. All 24 filled-in questionnaires were collected personally and online by the investigator were found valid eliciting a response rate of 100%. All the 24 filled-in questionnaires were included in the analysis of the interpretation of data. The response to 18 questions was analyzed in the form of tables and figures using descriptive statistical methods.

The study reveals that librarians’ found CCTV useful for security by controlling theft, unethical losses and missing items. It also helped to curb mutilation and vandalism, procurement of the rare material via the latest camera devices and night vision capturing, besides improving the service efficiency of the patron, as well as staff. The quantitative study surveyed security professionals to assess how each university/institution developed, deployed and integrated CCTV policies related to securing video data, safeguarding privacy and prevention of the potential for the unethical use of surveillance cameras. The analysis of the survey responses determined that more than 50% of the universities/institutions participating had a written CCTV policy. Further, library professionals find that the future of libraries lies in a CCTV system, so the cost should be brought down to improve return on investment by the mass adoption of this technology in a developing country such as India.

The findings of the study showed that the potential uses of CCTV in Indian libraries are slow compared to that of the libraries of developed countries and some of the developing countries. Many of the CCTV policies that universities/institutions did have failed to include mandated training of personnel or provisions ensuring that their policies remained up-to-date. It is suggested that universities and institutions understudy should realize the benefits of CCTV systems and incorporate-related updated tools in the security and multi-purpose uses in the libraries to enhance the services for the users and security for the materials or collections.

The paper includes implications for libraries and their professionals to approach CCTV systems with ethical considerations for procurement of library collections, which help to detect mutilation/theft, observe the misbehavior of users, as well as staff and deployment, should not be decided merely while balancing security demands.

The study is significant because it represents one of the earliest works to shed light on the current level of the use of CCTV system by librarians of studied libraries of universities/institutes in developing country such as India and how they are providing CCTV-based security and services, which are currently in its primitive nature. The study also suggested that select libraries are required to weigh up and balance many competing desires, demands and objectives.

This paper provides a concise overview of the various applications/area and uses of CCTV system including its procedures during implementation, merits and demerits while using the system described above in libraries and recommends this technology to other libraries for faster and better services for their users and security to their library materials in today’s technological advancement. It provides a set of issues that should be considered before system adoption or deployment.