At least it's not London - the most heavily surveilled city outside of China, with a quite absurd 73.3 cameras per 1,000 people (as of May 2021). For interest, New York (7.1 ) and Los Angeles (8.8 ) are an order of magnitude lower. And Texas would need around 400,000 cameras to match London (if my maths is correct).
Those are GOVERNMENT cameras as far as I can see.
This is the GOVERNMENT forcing PRIVATE business to install cameras and GIVE THEM ACCESS TO THEM.
More then that, they are making them cover areas TO THE PROPERTY LINE.
Because that's real easy for some person who runs a small bar in a strip mall. They only have to cover the ENTIRE PARKING LOT AND THE BACK THE ENTIRE STRIP MALL to the property line.
-Dave
That is a little crazy. I’m surprised to read it actually passed. As a fan of true crime documentaries though I am familiar with the amount of strange disappearances and unsolved murders in the Houston area. They definitely have a problem. I’m not one to force business owners to do anything, but maybe for the businesses that are having multiple murders or disappearances on their doorstep, something should be done. Perhaps it should be the city’s responsibility and not the business owner, but I suspect some of these businesses are at least considered to be at fault of some kind to push an ordinance this far.
It's stupid is what it is. It will hopefully get challenged in court. The 'to the property line" for cameras is, and excuse my language, totally fucking insane.
For a *stand alone* bar or 7-11 type place fine. But there is ABSOLUTELY NO PROVISION for those in other locations.
As far as the law goes, my friends (OK relative of a friend of a friend) bar in a strip mall now has to cover the entire property. Do you think the nail salon or dentist is going to help cover the cost? How do you think the landlord is going to react when he has to trench the parking lot to put a camera on a pole? Or the store at the end having him drill into the wall to run a cable back to the bar.
Best estimate is 30 cameras and that is cutting some corners.
Back of the napkin math is about 65TB for 30 2MP cameras for 90 days.
And Houston does not even make the top 20 places for crime in the US.
Sound of a dart loaded with Xanax hitting Dave.....ah calm....
This law sponsored by https://www.investigationdiscovery.com/show/see-no-evil-investigation-discovery
Good thing is whenever I think NY has some dumb laws another state goes and says "hold my beer"
-Dave
