“Real Time Crime Centers” to Spy on Motorists

By MassPrivateI

Not content with Real Time Crime Centers (RTCC) forcing businesses to spy on customers in real-time, Homeland Security has now decided to use RTCCs to spy on motorists in real-time.

Last month an article in the Baton Rogue Proud revealed that the Baton Rouge Police Department’s RTCC will be using red light cameras to spy on motorists.

Baton Rouge Chief Administrative Officer Darryl Gissel said the verbiage of the new contract with Verra Mobility, the traffic camera company, allows BRPD to access those live camera feeds.

Verra Mobility’s slogan is, “A new kind of smart mobility company focused on safe cities, smart roadways and the connected systems that tie them seamlessly together.” Roughly translated, Verra Mobility is using their Smart City surveillance cameras to help police spy on everyone.

The New American had this to say about RTCCs:

Local police will have access to a shockingly broad array of personal information of citizens. Facial recognition technology, license plate readers, and stop light camera video feeds will all be funneled to a Regional Operations Intelligence Center where FBI, police, and DHS agents can watch the live feeds.

DHS’s relationship with law enforcement is so cozy that they have begun running the Minnesota Law Enforcement Support Office program.

A three-page document titled “Mission of a Real Time Crime Center” warned people that RTCCs would hire private contractors to spy for them.

The mission of an RTCC would centralize a broad range of current and evolving technologies, coordinate sworn and/or non- sworn human resources. (To learn more about RTCC spying click here & here.)

But what makes Verra Mobility‘s “story” so frightening is their effort to turn red light/toll surveillance cameras into a global effort run by them.

We are combining the global capabilities and talents of American Traffic Solutions (ATS), Highway Toll Administration (HTA), and Euro Parking Collection (EPC) under one brand, Verra Mobility.

American Traffic Solutions has a disturbing record of bribing city officials all over the world. (A Google search for “American Traffic Solutions Bribery” returned close to 3 million hits.)

The Highway Toll Administration is not much better, their main goal is to make money on rental toll payments. And the Euro Parking Collection company which “specializes in the identification, notification and collection of unpaid traffic and public transport related fees across Europe.”

Last but not least, Verra Mobility’s “Core Principiles” should be enough to make the average person want to vomit.

Their so-called core principles are to help governments and law enforcement collect money from people around the world.

We seek this purpose by never taking our eye off of what’s most important, our customers. Whether it’s with local governments, commercial or rental fleet owners, tolling authorities or law enforcement.

What does all of this mean?

It means that RTCCs are using a for-profit companies with dubious goals to spy on you and your family.

And that is Homeland Security in a nutshell: outsourcing surveillance to highly questionable companies while enlisting law enforcement to pitch the idea to the public using that old standby — public safety.

You can read more at the MassPrivateI blog, where this article first appeared.