Surveillance Effort Draws Civil Liberties Concern

Lt. Rick Smith commands the Los Angeles police bomb squad, which works with the department’s counterterrorism bureau. Monica Almeida/The New York Times

From The New York Times:

LOS ANGELES — A growing number of big-city police departments and other law enforcement agencies across the country are embracing a new system to report suspicious activities that officials say could uncover terrorism plots but that civil liberties groups contend might violate individual rights.

Here and in nearly a dozen other cities, including Boston, Chicago and Miami, officers are filling out terror tip sheets if they run across activities in their routines that seem out of place, like someone buying police or firefighter uniforms, taking pictures of a power plant or espousing extremist views.

Read more ....

My Comment: From regulating and giving the White House the power to shut down the internet in the event of a national emergency .... to conducting and expanding surveillance protocols and procedures .... we are clearly witnessing greater government involvement in overseeing our lives.

When the Patriot Act was passed in 2002, the media, civil libertarians, (myself included on certain provisions), and the Democrats were universally opposed to the provisions of the Act ..... a few years later with President Obama now in Office, we are witnessing even greater measures to conduct surveillance over our lives .... and the opposition is silent.

At least the New York Times (I have to give credit where credit is due) is pointing out what is coming down the pipeline.