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CWSS - RAPTOR

Project Unity USA is proud to announce it's launch of a new project, to build and implement a county wide surveillance system that will be utilized by law enforcement to better protect the public interest.

The county wide surveillance system named RAPTOR, will be one of the most advanced surveillance systems in South Carolina.

This system full blown will consist of approximately 400 Bullet resistant, High Resolution, Pan Tilt 35X Zoom, Day/Night cameras, 5 Covert cameras, and 2 Gunshot recognition cameras.

We have worked with both Richland County Sherriff's Departmaent and the City of Columbia police department gathering information on hot spots for crime. Together and with the support of the community we will strategically deploy the cameras.

This system will give law enforcement the ability to:

1. View and control cameras from patrol vehicles.

2. Track and record criminal activity from a central location

3. Track and record location of gun shots fired in communities

4. Set-up remote surveillance in high crime areas

5. Set-up covert surveillance in locations of illegal narcotic sales

6. Track criminals and relay video from law enforcement aircraft

7. Deliver live video from banks, stores, and other locations to

law enforcement during the commission of a crime.

This system was designed by Mr. Bruce A. Trezevant (our founder and owner of Strategic Integrated Technology). Strategic Integrated technology has been deigning and implementing surveillance systems for the military, law enforcement and high risk companies for more that 10 years.

As a former Los Angeles police officer Mr. Trezevant has a strong knowledge of the needs of law enforcement, officer safety, investigations and the use of surveillance cameras. As a resident of Richland County Mr. Trezevant has a broad knowledge of the type of crimes in many areas of the county.

Armed with the above knowledge and the information that we have gathered from Richland County Sheriffs department, the City of Columbia Police department and SLED (South Carolina Law Enforcement Division). Mr. Trezevant has designed RAPTOR.

We are looking forward to teaming up with companies, churches, organizations, and communities to pay for and implement this system. Crime has an effect on everyone, therefore we are asking everyone to donate to this project.

Crime has been on the rise and people or dyeing or their lives are being placed at risk by criminals that can care less about the people that they hurt. It is time for the community to get involve and stop waiting on law enforcement to make their community safe. Law Enforcement needs out help. Donating to this project will be a great way to show that you are concerned about the crime in our communities.

Let's Talk About the Privacy Issue

Police Camera Privacy Concerns

The cost and questionable usefulness of CCTV add more fuel to the fire for privacy advocates who believe they are borderline "Big Brother," and invade people's right to privacy.

To fully understand this argument, let's first look at how the police use the camera and the footage. Most police departments designate personnel to watch the footage live, and some departments watch footage as potential evidence after crimes are reported. Skeptics worry that police act more like peeping toms, homing in on women and minorities rather than criminals. For that reason, certain cameras come equipped with special features that black out when focused above the second story of a building, for instance.

Although a few instances of misuse of surveillance footage have taken place, it appears that most police view the video responsibly. If they see a crime in action on camera, they can dispatch officers to the scene. Or if a crime is reported, they review footage for evidence.

Nevertheless, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) fiercely opposes police camera surveillance, citing ineffectiveness and the chance for abusing the personal information recorded. In short, the organization views it as an unnecessary intrusion into private lives based on the Fourth Amendment that protects against unlawful search and seizure.

Landmark Fourth Amendment Cases

Katz v. United States (1967): People in public areas cannot expect privacy since they are "knowingly exposing" themselves.

Electronic Communications Privacy Act (1968): Police can legally use tape from privately-owned surveillance cameras.

United States v. Knotts (1983): People on public roads are subject to surveillance because they are in a public area.

[source: Nieto]

While the ACLU and other activists remain vocal about the issue, there are legal precedents in the United States establishing the legality of this kind of public surveillance. Since the cameras are clearly marked in public areas, courts have traditionally ruled that people understand that they are in open places where privacy shouldn't be expected [source: National Institute of Justice].

Interestingly, new CCTV technology that can "recognize" faces could alleviate privacy concerns in the United States. These systems match people's faces with mug shots of repeated offenders. This could reduce the possibility of officer bias. The system chooses which faces to focus in on rather than the operator.

Despite the mixed bag of results crime cameras carry, it looks like they're another permanent fixture in today's electronic world.

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