i suggest they change the name of the building.

Normally, I'm a fate doctor. For this post, I'll be a fake lawyer (JDBrownMSW?).

From what I know, the filming sounds legal (unless you try to sell it without modeling releases). In terms of anyone's rights, it's not substantually different than popping out the camcorder on a family trip to Wiliamsburg, VA*: AS LONG AS you are filming things done in plain view in public. Aim that puppy in someone's window and this fake lawyer won't even pretend to defend you.

Depending on what you get on "film", I could see it easily justifying a search of the people and places involved. Heck, without the film, a call to 911 telling them where the drugs are with a half-decent description of the person should be enough for cops to stop someone and, as part of the questioning, do a quick-but-not-too-thourogh pat down "for weapons" (stuff turns up, they have an arrest).

I doubt the film would be a case by itself, as it leaves too many questions open: Is blurry figure A really John Smith? Who says they just traded money for drugs -- looks like baseball cards for eyedrops to me...?

Security cameras in and around stores -- "places of public accomidation" -- are used as part of a case all the time, so why not.

I have to wonder if a few concerned neighbors dropping a few hundred bucks (total) on a handful of webcams couldn't make a difference. One camera alone, though, might become a target of "vandalism" by itself, though.

*As a fake travel agent, I recommend against Williamsburg. You'll hate it, the kids will hate it and you probably know more about 17th century colonial life than you will ever need to know.

__________________
A great new product that boosts your immune system with seven herbs and spices to help prevent and cure the cold and flu! 100% (fake) doctor approved!

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I want 500 words explaining 1st and 2nd person pronouns on my desk first thing Monday morning!

- MEdBrownMSW, fake English teacher

__________________
A great new product that boosts your immune system with seven herbs and spices to help prevent and cure the cold and flu! 100% (fake) doctor approved!

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FakeDoctor,

RuggerAl realize error in inconsistent talk pattern. RuggerAl sorry for stringing other posters round. True, once in fort night, when topic seem "adult" RuggerAl simply turn into Al, and Al is weak. Al like using (as close as Al know) proper pronouns, and make sentence good grammer, Al care bout spelling in bit to. RuggerAl try keep weak Al locked away inside head, where Al no mess up what RuggerAl do, Al not fun. RuggerAl still find FakeDoctor to be number 1 enemy (will smash man who make me mad), but RuggerAl know he have less purpose if RuggerAl ever smash, so will only dream of smashing, so something always look forward to. RuggerAl not know how make reference to others and groups without some pronouns, but, for RuggerAl, 1st and 2nd person are stupid. RuggerAl sound great, roll off tounge like glory, make people happy like music, so RuggerAl say RuggerAl all time. RuggerAl done talking now, go find Al and lock away- RuggerAl smash Al, puny Al.

Cheers,
RuggerAl still no like FakeDoctor (T-Rex > Stegosaurus)

__________________
Your favorite silly game is "I love pretzle." right?

Add to your assignment writing 500 times: "There are proper nouns, but not proper pronouns."

__________________
A great new product that boosts your immune system with seven herbs and spices to help prevent and cure the cold and flu! 100% (fake) doctor approved!

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I think this could be useful tool for neighbors with problems with open market drug dealing as well as the similar problems that surround them. Get a few people to chip in some money to buy the cameras. Ask everyone who just got mugged or their car broken into if they would contribute. If someone was to get a group together to do this; you could have the police ask the victims of the crimes if they would like to contribute to such a cause. I bet the response would be very high. I know EVERYTIME I had my car broken into and the one time someone tried to mug me, I would have been glad to contribute to such an effort. You have this combined feeling of being pissed and feeling somewhat helpless. If you gave me a good solution, if you said you give me $20 and I will put a camera on that block and help eliminate this kinda stuff from happening I would jump at the chance. $20 is a lot less than the $200 it is going to cost me to get my window fixed. And after I get it fixed I know the same F-ing crackhead might just do it again.

You could hang the camera's every half block. And I think if you hung the cameras 10 ft or higher it would help eliminate vandalism. Part of the problem is you would need premission from the owner of the house. Of course that probably would not be too difficult.

Easier said then done of course. But at the end of the day after a crime was commited you could go back and review the tape and quite probably get a much better idea of who is doing what in the nieghborhood. Post pictures of the suspects around the neighborhood. I think that would make them feel uncomfortable coming back the next night or the next week. And if you were able to get quick access to the footage you have a MUCH better description in the case of a mugging. You have a picture instead of a 'the guy was about this tall and he had on a dark jacket'. Even if the tape dosen't clearly show who he is it makes it a lot easier for the cops to pick up the guy a few blocks away with the gun and the stolen wallet, cell ect.

And then give him the option. Do hard time or go to rehab and if we ever catch you doing this again we are going to throw the book at you. I think sending them to jail with a revolving door policy is stupid.

Does anyone know how much it would cost for security cameras and video monitoring equipment(digital recorders) How much would it cost to do an area 10 blocks by 10 blocks? Say 1 camera every 1/2 block. Comes to about 300 plus cameras. And you could probably put 15 cameras on one monitoring system. Say 20 montoring systems. If you figure that in a (Center City and South Philly) city block you have 30 -50 houses, so if it is 10 blocks by 10 blocks you have 5000- 10,000 houses and probably 1/2 of those have 2- 3 apartments. You would have 5000, 10,000, 15,000 households(?) So if it costs $5000 per system and you needed 20 systems that would be $100,000, which granted is a lot of money but not that much when you divide it by the 10,000 - 30,000 people who live in that neighborhood. It comes down to a few dollars a person.

Does anyone know anybody at Pew Charitable trust (or someother institution) who might be willing to help finance something like this? I know $100,000 isn't chump change but how many millions of dollars did they spend rebuilding those properties. If the average house in this nieghborhood is worth $300,000 (I know it is probably a lot more) and you have 50 houses on a block than each block is worth $15 million and if there are a 100 blocks in the nieghborhood than the neighborhood is worth 1 1/2 billion (and these neighborhoods combined are probably worth A LOT MORE) then $100,000 starts to look like chump change.

I don't know if it is worth pursuing but what if it did, and you didn't have to worry about your car at night or walking home late by yourself? It could keep the bad guys out of the neighborhood and keep good people who move after they get mugged or their car gets broken into for the umteenth time. I think BV QV would be an ideal place to try out something like this. It is a great neighborhood, but it is sandwiched between two projects. And I don't want to keep people from access to affordable housing but I do want to get the muggers and drug dealers and crackheads off the street. I'm mean you gotta figure a lot of people living in those projects are families who are just trying to get by but if you can get rid of their cousin who deal crack on the corner and occasionally mugs people - I don't think those families would miss that guy all that much. Then you could tell your friends, parents ect that noone has gotten mugged and no cars or houses have been broken into.

It would make the city and specifically a nieghborhood like QV BV a much better place to live.

Of course there is that big brother thing. And who would have access to the video and would it point in anyones windows (get miniblinds if you are doing anything shady or embarrasing) ect.

I think these numbers are realistic but please correct me if I am wrong.

I found this http://www.123cctv.com/cctv/remotesystems16.html toward the end of writing this long rambling post. You can buy 16 cameras with color, infared and audio and a 250 gig DVR ALL for under $3000. I do understand you need to install ect. So theortically if you only needed 2 per block you could do almost all of QV BV for $60,000 (materials only) You could put the DVR and station in box that only the cops would have access to (sort of like an old police call box) and one system could do an area of two blocks by two blocks, anytime there was a crime committed he could run to that box and get clear color video with audio and make a quick arrest.

Well it is a nice dream.

Think what a difference it could make to Point Breeze! Then you wouldn't need any "snitches"

Sorry for the long post I get started and I keep going.

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Tom O'Malley