Anti-Terrorism Camera Plan Raising Eyebrows in Capital

The specter of Big Brother loomed over the U.S. capital as police said Thursday that they plan to create a network of public surveillance cameras to help fight terrorism as well as assist other law enforcement.

Washington Deputy Police Chief Terry Gainer said linking an estimated 200 existing cameras around schools, the subway, businesses and government agencies would help the force beef up security in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks.

But local media reports about the plans sparked outrage among privacy advocates who predicted a nightmare straight out of George Orwell’s classic novel “1984” about the evils of a totalitarian state.

“We need to use all the technology we can within the law to maximize our effectiveness, and that includes cameras,” Gainer said, adding that Washington police had started using cameras for traffic and crowd control 18 months ago.

“This type of scrutiny probably spooks people a little bit,” he said, adding that the force welcomes suggestions on anti-abuse controls and is canvassing neighborhoods and businesses to gauge support for camera monitoring.

“To expose ordinary citizens, who have an expectation of some privacy when they visit our monuments, to the peering of the police department is not unlike those nations that we condemn for monitoring the movements of their citizens,” said Johnny Barnes, head of the local chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union.

The surveillance would parallel on a smaller scale the intensive closed-circuit television monitoring system used by British police. From 1 million to 2 million cameras are estimated to cover British public areas. Despite privacy concerns, British police have credited the system with reducing crime and helping them solve tough cases.