Washington Injury Law Blog

The City of Medina, home of Bill Gates and other very wealthy individuals, has started a 24 hour video surveillance of its city streets.  Big Brother has arrived in Medina!!  As you drive into Medina your license plate is scanned, compared against a crime database, and sent directly to the Medina police should something of interest pop up.  The city claims it’s only a measure to fight crime.  However, the city then stores all license plates for 60 days, just in case you commit crime a little bit later.

For example if a stolen car, crime suspect, or person with a warrant outstanding drives into Medina the police can spring into action and capture the person before he/she commits a crime in Medina.  According to Medina Police Chief Jeffrey Chen: “These cameras provide us with intelligence, ” and “It gets us out in front of criminals.  I don’t like to be on a level playing field with criminals.”  I wonder want Chief Chen thinks about the whole presumed innocent thing.

The Medina City Council does believe this find of video surveillance and storage of information is a problem.  Why should a city keep records of when people come and go when they haven’t done anything wrong?  According to councilman Lucius Biglow crime prevention “outweighs concern over privacy.”

Here’s my concern.  Why should any government entity track my travel without any suspicion of me doing something wrong.  The 4th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution protects against unreasonable searches and seizures.  Your right to privacy is directly taken from the 4th Amendment.  If all cities start 24 hour video surveillance then I will be tracked from the minute I walk out my front door and everywhere I go until I return home.  Can you imagine the slippery slope that this can pose?

First cities store information for 60 days, then slowly over time more and more days will be stored.  Cities start using the video to prosecute crimes, which is fine.  But guess what, it will also be used in other ways.  I’m a car and motorcycle accident attorney and video of an accident would be very useful in a car, motorcycle or any other vehicle accident case.  The video could be used in all kinds of disputes potentially.  I’m sure you can think any number of ways this video might be useful for a government to access.  Food for thought Homeland Security Agency and Patriot Act.

I don’t believe cities should store the information gathered on vehicles unless a crime, warrant or other legitimate crime related reason appears for the police to go out and stop that vehicle immediately.  Otherwise, the invasion of privacy is too great and is just one more step toward total erosion of your privacy in America and one more step toward Big Brother watching, tracking, and controlling your every movement and behavior.

Max Meyers, Esq.

Here’s the related Seattle Times news story.