By Adam Tobias | Wisconsin Reporter
MADISON, Wis. — Beware all you prostitutes, pimps and drug dealers: Madison is watching you.
You too, jaywalking suburban mom with children in tow.
WHO’S WATCHING YOU?: The city of Madison has installed nearly 40 cameras throughout the city for the public to monitor traffic in real time, but government agencies also are viewing the footage.
City staff has set up close to 40 cameras throughout Madison for the public to monitor traffic in real time, but the footage is also being viewed by several city agencies, including the police department.
And that’s not counting the hundreds of other cameras installed in the State Street area, the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus, various parking garages and Madison Metro buses and transfer stations — all of which are used by law enforcement, according to Madison Police Department spokesman Joel DeSpain.
“It’s the way the world has gone, so whether people like it or not, it’s here,” DeSpain told Wisconsin Reporter. “And I would say we’re going to see more cameras.”
That doesn’t sit too well with American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin Executive Director Christopher Ahmuty, who’s deeply concerned the prevalent use of high tech surveillance is compromising citizens’ privacy.
Most of the traffic cameras, much like the ones along State Street, have the ability to move and zoom in on pedestrians and cars, according to Paul Kronberger, the city’s chief information officer.
“There may not be a problem with individual cameras and individual locations, but when you think about it in aggregate, it really has destroyed your privacy,” Ahmuty said. “And personal autonomy is something to be valued.”