Saturday, 2 November 2013
Cameras on School Bus
Langley School District considers cameras on full bus fleet
http://www.news1130.com/2013/10/30/langley-school-district-considers-cameras-on-full-bus-fleet/
From this article, it provides reasons to have cameras on school bus in Langley School District. Personally, I do not agree having cameras on school bus, since cameras are expensive, and it would be taxpayers who pays for cameras. More commonly, there would be students who can be witness when a crime or offence is commit, even though students might not be able to provide "good" evidences, but at least, they have a better understanding of the situation. Also, video taping on school bus would not be checked all the time, it might be a waste of resources. As states in the article, cameras on school bus also violate student's privacy right. Even if cameras could enhance safety of the students, but it can not to be guaranteed. It is better to teach students to self defend, because it could have be a life long lesson, and apply to different circumstances. Having cameras on school bus may not benefit the society as a whole, and may be easily damage by the students.
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I feel they are an acceptable option. I realize that cameras are an expensive way to deal with crime on buses. However I can see why some people would view them as completely necessary and viable options; they provide the people who are in charge of bus services, as well as police officials, immediate knowledge of a situation that may have occurred. It would be very easy for the school district to write a contract or agreement that would be signed by parents to allow cameras to record students on buses if the students are to be allowed access to bus services; it would be much like the way lockers are assigned to students; they are allowed to use the accommodation as long as school and police officials have the right to search them if there is realistic suspicion of illicit activity. They may also serve as a deterrent for criminal activity on buses; students know they are being watched and do not wish to be caught. Cameras may be expensive, but it is spread across all the people in Langley through taxes. If you were to compare the cost of the taxes that would fund the camera project to the price of private or school-run self defense classes, it would most likely be the self defense classes that cost more. Cameras are also a non-violent form of dealing with criminal activity, as self defense is a form of physical deterrence.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, cameras on school buses seem like an effective way to monitor and hopefully deter potentially criminal activities. The issue of the cost is a valid point as the money comes from the taxpayers pockets but the price of the cameras can be justified when looking at their positive effects. I believe the majority of the Canadian public would support measures taken to make public spaces safer for citizens. Cameras would help in identifying suspects in crimes committed on buses and criminals who have knowledge of such surveillance hopefully would choose not to commit such crimes. As Colton said, the price of the cameras would be diffused across Langley residents, lessening the financial impact they would have on taxpayers. On the issue of privacy, buses are a public service and are not mandatory for travel. There are other ways to commute, so if people know there are cameras on the bus, they should and do have the ability to find alternative methods of travel. Again, the purpose of the camera system is to ensure the safety of the public and therefore should not be related to privacy concerns,
ReplyDeleteAndrew posted about this article in the Lawvengers group and it may be of interest for you guys to see his post to further this conversation.
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