by TChris

You have no expectation of privacy in a public place, the argument goes, so why be concerned if the government keeps you under surveillance as you go about your public life? As a matter of public policy, however, most Americans would prefer not to have their lives recorded on spy cameras.

As TalkLeft noted here, owners of private surveillance cameras often make their recordings available to the police. New York City police don't want to rely upon private cameras; they want to install 400 surveillance cameras in high crime areas to supplement the 80 they already operate.

Other large cities that are aggressively stepping up surveillance systems include Chicago, Baltimore and New Orleans, financed in part with federal funds. Chicago, which has the second-largest police department in the country, announced in September that it would be linking together 2,000 surveillance cameras.

Police say that the cameras deter crime. Maybe. And cameras have been known to help innocent suspects avoid unjust convictions. Still, the phrase "your government is watching you" provokes unease and invites debate about the limits our society should place on our government. That debate should occur before the cameras are installed.