Thread: Virtual Deputies Patrol Border

Tuesday March 17, 2009

A recent comment on the Immigration Issues forum reminded me of a CNN article that I read the other day about an internet surveillance program designed to enhance security along the Texas-Mexico border.

The Texas Border Sheriff's Coalition (TBSC) has installed video cameras mostly on private properties on the Texas border and made the streaming video on its BlueServo.net website. People can register on the site for free as "Virtual Texas Deputies" to monitor the live video and anonymously report suspicious activities via e-mail to border sheriffs.

The program started last November and since then, CNN reports that over 43,000 users have registered on the site. The 15 spy cameras are located in areas without a fence or where border patrol is less active. A $2 million state grant funds the program, which according to NPR has resulted in "four marijuana busts, totaling more than 1,500 pounds, and 30 incidents when illegal crossers were repelled."

Users feel they are performing their civic duty while opponents feel the program is ineffective and encourages vigilante behavior. Do you feel that the program is a harmless way for volunteers to pass the time, or is the program simply a waste of time, money and resources?

Photo: David McNew/Getty Images

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http://immigration.about.com/b/2009/03/ ... border.htm

Go to below link and join

http://www.blueservo.net

I am on there!

Me too.