Gatso Exec Invokes 9/11

Andrew Noble, president of photo radar manufacturer Gatso USA, recently invoked 9/11 as a reason he believes the public is becoming more accepting to surveillance in the form of automated ticketing during an audio interview with “Traffic Technology Today”:

…We’ve seen an increase if you like on public acceptance of surveillance / security — CCTV cameras are on the increase in the US.

9/11 had a big impact on that and the idea that to some extent safety does come with increased security surveillance.

And so there’s less pushback now on the idea of cameras in the community.

Remember this?

Someone should really inform Mr. Noble that the plethora of existing CCTV cameras did nothing to prevent 9/11. In addition, the notion that “safety” comes only with increased government surveillance is laughable. A $340 million dollar (USD) camera network in London proves it:

…an analysis of the publicly funded spy network, which is owned and controlled by local authorities and Transport for London, has cast doubt on its ability to help solve crime.

A comparison of the number of cameras in each London borough with the proportion of crimes solved there found that police are no more likely to catch offenders in areas with hundreds of cameras than in those with hardly any.

In fact, four out of five of the boroughs with the most cameras have a record of solving crime that is below average.

It's always about the money

With the “safety” argument out of the way, what could possibly be the motive for increased surveillance of the public? Just keep listening to Gatso’s Noble as he admits the truth:

The second thing, quite frankly, is money in those communities.

Money money money. “Bucketfuls of money,” as one Prescott, Arizona councilman put it.

Oh, and just in case you want to contact Gatso, you can call or email Kristin Noble (Andrew’s wife?). I’m sure they’re always looking for good suggestions on where they can stick their cameras.

Kristin Noble
(978) 922-7296
k.noble@gatso.com