I hate security cameras – sort of. Actually, I appreciate what they represent: a deterrent to crime and general mayhem. People are less likely to commit either when they know their face can be plastered across the 6 o’clock news, leading to their identification, arrest, conviction, and incarceration. And if they ignore all that and commit the crime anyway, well, re-read the previous sentence. Security cameras make it less likely that they’ll get away with it. Think for a moment about the vital role security cameras playing in finding the Boston Marathon bombers.
So what’s not to like? Think about what security cameras really represent: insecurity. Try to imagine for a moment a perfect world, a world where nobody would rob liquor stores, nobody would break into homes or businesses at 3:00 in the morning, no one would shoplift, riot in the streets, pilfer from the cash register they’re tending, molest a child they’re babysitting, or even run a red light. That would be a world with virtually no security cameras. What would be the point? Where would the need be?
Of course, we live in a world that’s far from perfect. So yes, security cameras are necessary. They fill an important need. But every time I see one I am reminded of why it’s there: because the potential for a crime of some kind exists in that very spot.
And that doesn’t make me feel very secure at all.