Image by hugojcardoso via Flickr

Social media has undoubtedly contributed to the growth of the Occupy Wall Street movement, but according to the Wall Street Journal, protestors and police officers have clashed over the use of cameras. Each side reportedly relied on video accounts of their altercations to substantiate their claims of the supposed encounters. As the protest remains very much alive, its voice has largely been carried by images and videos released by protestors via YouTube and by police through mainstream media accounts, WSJ notes.

“One thing we found very quickly, especially as arrests became violent, is that we had the documentation to defend protesters who were being unfairly arrested, to provide evidence that they were well within their bounds and acting properly,” Ms. Davidson, a Calif. based filmmaker, told WSJ.

The NYPD has too found video usage to be advantageous. The police dept. discharges photographers and videographers from the Technical Assistance Response Unit to take photos of demonstrations and protests such as Occupy Wall Street, Paul Browne, a spokesman for the NYPD, said to the WSJ.

Although it remains unclear which side generates a greater advantage, the usage of cameras indicates another example of the need for technology and social media platforms as a vehicle for echoing a movement’s objectives.

Wall Street Journal

Image via CrunchBase

Four burglars broke into a Best Buy in Brooklyn this week, taking $112,000 worth of iPads with them. Staying only four minutes, at around 4 a.m. the burglars broke into the front door and through a locked office.

Police officials believe it may have been an inside job because the store and the shopping plaza’s security cameras were not working at the time. Investigations are continuing as to whether the burglars have been involved in other break-ins surrounding the area.

NY Daily News

“We destroy anything that’s fake,” Mr. Lane told Crain’s. “Counterfeit designer clothing gets put through a shredder. Bogus Rolex watches, we smash with a hammer.”

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

There has been a resurgence of thefts in New York’s subway system, as according to the New York Daily News, most victims have valuables stolen from them while standing near subway doors by thieves who reach in and grab items just as the doors close.  The NYPD clarified that crime in the subway overall went up about 17%, namely due to a spike in thefts of cell phones, iPods and various electronics.

The police plan to hand out safety pamphlets in subway stations, increase the number of visible cops in crime-prone areas, and also have members of the force who are trained in counter-terrorism be present on trains.

NY Daily News

Image via Wikipedia

Recently, police received a call from Parry Aftab’s home in Wyckoff, NJ where a the caller claimed to be armed with explosives, killed four people and taken two hostages. SWAT team members surrounded the home for three hours. The standoff ended after police shot tear gas canisters into the home to only find Aftab’s cat inside. Wyckoff Police Chief Benjamin Fox said that the 911 call was made through a computer that “cloned” a phone number.

Parry Aftab is a frequent media commentator who wrote the first law enforcement investigator’s guide for online social networks and has testified before Congress regarding Internet Safety. Police are still trying to find out whether Aftab was deliberately targeted.

CBS New York

Image via Wikipedia

The New York Daily News rrevealed that the New York Police Department is using sensors that can detect the sounds and origins of gunshots. The sensors, connected to cameras, are part of a pilot program that began last week in a housing project in Brownsville, Brooklyn.

According to the Daily News, a soundboard reacting to gunfire is connected to cameras. The system alerts nearby police while simultaneously panning the camera in the direction of the sounds and takes pictures of suspects. Within seconds, police on patrol have access to the photos.

The program has mixed reviews. Police claim that the increased surveillance reduces crime, but critics say that other sounds, like fireworks, can be mistaken for gunfire.

New York Daily News

The new system also supports automatic license plate recognition cameras mounted on the trunk of some patrol cars that will compare license plates to a data base of stolen cars and other vehicles police are looking for. The network will also run solar powered 911 call boxes that operate in cellular dead zones and during power outages.

The New York Post

Previous:

> City's 911 System Upgrade Fails Final Quality Reviews

The system is supposed to automatically give a 911 operator the number and location of each emergency call, while recording it, but when the volume of calls for EMS, police and fire was very high, as during a public emergency, it would begin dropping calls.

New York Daily News

Previous:

>  Gonzalez: Conflicts of Interest Plague NYC 911 Upgrade

The Senate and Assembly passed a bill that would force the department to delete the database, but the Governor hasn't signed it yet. About 90% of all stops result in no charges being filed, as the police say the database provides information on people acting suspiciously that can be helpful in solving later crimes.

Wall Street Journal (subscription required)

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> Kelly Demos Video Search on Security Cameras

The equipment is part of the city's Lower Manhattan Security Initiative, a network of 150 closed circuit cameras in the area.

SILive.com

Previous:

> Bloomberg Renews Push for Security Camera
Initiative

> "Ring of Steel" Initiative Launched in Lower
Manhattan

They will be installed on downtown streets, at highway ramps and near schools and video will be kept for a maximum of 40 days. 

AP News

Related:

Cheaper Subway Cameras at Work in Some Stations

The New York Post

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> NYers Can Use Cell Phones To Battle Crime

Regular posts on Bay Ridge neighborhood blog BayRidgeTalk.com about drug activity in the neighborhood have led to police raids on two homes, 346 and 348 93 Street, between Third and Fourth Avenues, and the arrest of five people, including three brothers who lived there.

The blog posts spurred the neighborhood to action.  Residents began filing complaints with the 68th Precinct, attending Community Board 10 meetings, and generally making noise until the narcotics investigation began.

The Department of Homeland Security is giving the city nearly $8
million to help upgrade and improve police, fire, and other emergency response communications systems.

Problems with first responder communications were
exposed during the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.  Police and fire officials
struggled to share information and keep their personnel informed about
the rapidly changing developments.

> WTC Security Needs Additional Radio Frequencies

Under a new initiative instituted in January, rookie cops’ profiles on social networking sites are now being regularly reviewed by the NYPD for inappropriate content and illegal behavior.  An Internal Affairs investigation recently uncovered a MySpace profile which highlighted the criminal activities of one officer and led to his arrest for robbery.