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TREMONT STREET SIGNS MISSING.........AGAIN!Submitted by jerleen1 on Sat, 08/15/2009 - 00:17.
Over the past two months or so Councilman Cimperman, Traffic Engineer Rob Mavec and Henry have walked the Tremont Neighborhood and documented street signs that for some reason or another have disappeared from their proper post. A number of these postings were, "no parking from here to the corner," "fifteen minute parking - two hour parking," etc., signs. A week or so ago the replacement of these signs began at certain intersections on Professor Avenue. Within just two or three days, some of these signs again mysteriously disappeared. Since no one will admit to witnessing the pullout of these parking regulators, I'm wondering if Tremont West captured the pilferage on their safety cams. I do believe it would be interesting to see who the culprit(s) might be?
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purpose of $$$ spent on cameras
Thats the intended purpose for these cameras that so much money was spent on, isn't it?
Who operates these cameras and how do residents go about requesting surveillance footage? If this is not available to residents, what is the point of having them? Selective enforcement?
If paid for by public funds, this should be public
Why not make available to the public, over the Internet, the feeds from any surveillance cameras paid for or supported with public dollars! Imagine Tremont resident being able to keep a window open in their browser that monitors video cameras in the Tremont neighborhood - many types of technology are available, including remote control and noise and motion activated cameras - I bet you would end up with 24x7 human surveillance just by making the option available, and all crime will stop.
If you are spending money on video already, you may spend and manage it well and end all the bullshit in your community. That your technology is not being used to do this shows that the people in control of the video are incompetent, working against the interest of the residents of the community, or, most likely, both!
Disrupt IT
I agree totally, and
I agree totally, and bullshit is the name of the game they play. I tried to clue in Neighborhood Connections on how TWDC plays this game but whether they listened or not, I don't know.
i do know that I do not believe that Tremont West should have the ability and or capability of basically being Peeping Toms - These cameras are not placed on public poles - they are attached to noles on top of certain buildings, like a church, a business, or Colleen Reali's house.
As far as I'm concerned it is an invasion of privacy and I want to know who died and left TWDC God of the peep police.
Bring in the ACLU on this aspect
Total bullshit. Total invasion of privacy... probably breaking laws. Shut them down and do it right... and put cameras in the offices of TWDC.
Disrupt IT
LOL! So the residents of
LOL! So the residents of the neighborhood can hear what they talk about behind closed doors. Good suggestion.
Yea, I can go for that, I
Yea, I can go for that, I think it would be a riot.
TWDC duping the public?
So Sammy Catania is purchasing these cameras from his friend Steve Finegold?
and the word is they are outdated crap?
are they Feingold's unsold stock? Is he taking a tax deduction on these things as a business loss at the same time?
What's up with this Joe C?
Isn't this CDC your baby? Is there any oversight? Any word from BOE yet, cuz you haven't answered my first set of questions regarding them...?
Yes, Steve Finegold is in
Yes, Steve Finegold is in the middle of this deal. Sammy even brought him to our block club meeting last fall to discuss the camera project.
A detail that I found most interesting is that these cameras cannot transmit across freeways (highways) - that they must be piggybacked in some way for that to work. That being the case, how is it that some of these cameras were placed over on Denison Avenue?
I was at one meeting where they were discussing posting signs around the main entrances to the neighborhood eluding to the fact that "you're being watched, taped, recorded on video," or whatever. From what I understand the resolution on these cameras is not that great to begin with.
Oh, by the way dbra, I
Oh, by the way dbra, I received an e-mail from Councilman Cimperman this morning stating that he is going to be out of town until August 24, and that we will meet again around the 1st of Sept. to go over our checklist for updates.
I do know that he is having a bit of difficulty at the present time. There are two members of his immediate family quite ill and he's has been spending a lot of time at the hospital.
He did leave the phone number and e-mail address of his assistant Amanda in case there were any emergencies while he was away.
I'm sorry to hear that
I'm sorry to hear that, family illness is never easy.
Speedy recoveries!
Well, one would think so
Well, one would think so especially when the estimated bill for three (3) cameras and installation is $24,000. That was the total cost that was turned in to Neighborhood Connections when asking for a $5,000 grant written up for the Central Tremont Block Club (with the help of a TWDC staff member).
I am interested in details of surveillance technology in Tremont
This is very interesting. I'd like to see all the details and specifications on any surveillance cameras in Tremont, including on vendors, selection of technology, monitoring services and costs, who funded and pays the bills, who and what is videoed, why, how the data (including monitoring and access) is archived, who has access, and by what legal authorities.
This is one of the most interesting subjecs in our society today - BIG BROTHER WATCHING US.
That the theft of these specific signs is tolerated by your local government and police shows how corrupt things are in Tremont - determine who is stealing the signs and you have a path to the Tremont Mafia, and that is a great term for those ruining your community.
You should find out the costs so far of the signs stolen, replaced, and stolen again, including the time wasted by workers and your councilman and police, and the lost income from ticketing people if the signs were in place, so we have a number on the extent of the crime... $10,000s.
Is there a resident permit marking program in Tremont? Do you have a residents parking lot or set-asides for residents in the permitted lots in the area? I recommend you have all that, and then put resident-exempt meters everywhere else, with the income going to disenfranchised people in Tremont.
Parasites.
Disrupt IT
Well, Tremont West has the
Well, Tremont West has the monitoring system in their office and these cameras are purchased with grant money that each individual block club writes a grant for in the amount of $5,000. Now, I do believe that they are to come up with matching funds. Also, paperwork must be completed as to where they will be purchased, the estimated costs of each camera, etc. The estimated price for cameras and installation is jacked up to gain an edge by making it look like a lot of cash will be put in by the block clubs - when in realilty that is not true.
What is also amazing is that out of the $5,000 grant, they can only buy three cameras and I have been told in no uncertain terms that the cameras purchased are out-dated.
The caper in this big deal with Tremont West is that once the camers are purchased that "they" (TWDC) own them. In past grants, our friend Sammy refers the purchase of the equipment to his friend Steve Finegold.
All of the recorded information (video - pictures) is stored at Tremont West and only someone inside the organization is allowed to view the data. Somehow, you must first make a police report, and then request a viewing, which I believe that is done by a staff member of TWDC. Tremont West Development has complete and absolute control of any footage captured by the shutter bugs. I have not heard of one single crime or suspect caught as a direct result of these expensive eyeballers.
If I am incorrect on any of this, I do believe that Henry can fill in the rest.
From what you write, the public is being screwed and snooped-on
Add to the hard costs secondary factors like the loss of public safely and quality of life, and the cost of crime, etc., related to not doing video surveillance right - there are opportunity costs related to all corruption and such incompetence and misuse of information technology... they are in my court now.
A high quality digital surveillance camera and housing may cost $5,000 each... for such a lame apparent use, being snooping on the community, $1,000 cameras would do!!!!
How did they buy them (wholesale or retail) and from who? Who installed them? Who maintains them? Who provides any networking and access, over private and public networks, how, and at what cost? Do they have a monitoring service? How and where do they store the content captured (it is all digital, not video, now, I'm sure)? Do they capture sound and at what quality? What is covered by the camera surveillance areas, especially of private homes and public spaces? Who determines who has access and is there a log of access? What contracts do they have to provide surveillance from any sites they do not own, like a church? Does the church agree to be responsible for any misuse of this surveillance?
So many question, which I am very well quaified to ask, and analyze the answers, and consult on related issues. I offer my services very freely, as I am for the Italian Cultural Garden!
I look forward to helping Tremont stop any video surveillance invasion of privacy, waste of public funds, and loss of public safety opportunity there, and look forward to helping Tremont do this right.
You need a community technology task force - please let me know when whoever wants to be on that wants to get together... and someone needs to lead this effort at the community level... who volunteers?
Disrupt IT
I may have some of that
I may have some of that information for you by Monday evening. There is a meeting on Monday night where I will be able to discuss this matter and ask for volunteers.
Well, these camera programs
Well, these camera programs are discussed at the Safety Committee meetings. Do you think that you would be willing to attend one of these meeting? They are public and I do believe held once a month.
When I first became involved with the block clubs and heard about the camera safety project, I composed a list of some of those same questions and e-mailed them to the safety committee - not once but twice and no one responded to a single question.
I don't need to meet with them to learn the facts
Such a committee of people probabaly won't have any of the information I need on hand at a meeting, or the technological expertise to answer my questions. "Tremont"'s Community Technology Neighborhood Liaison (perhaps you?) and other concerned community members should absolutely attend to advance this investigation.
I'm approaching this as a consultant for citizens of a neighborhood and I just need TWDC and their funders and the government to answer the relevant questions and provide the documentation.
A good technology strategy and initiative is well documented and provides a wealth of data so let's start by seeing how well they run this project - just audit them...
I'll analyze and benchmark them, identify issues, and recommend any changes needed to their strategy.
Disrupt IT
Norm, Info provided in the
Norm,
Info provided in the Tremont Newsletter Oct., 2008:
Wireless Security Camera footage is stored in Network Video Recording (NVR) for a short period of time. Footage should be accessed within 2-3 weeks of the incident date.
"Security camera footage is not casually available to the general public. This is to protect individuals from prosecution, profiling and personal agendas; it mitigates the chance of abusing the system. If footage is needed for documentation or investigation of an incident, a CPD report number must be provided, along with the date and time to be reviewed, to the TWDC or the Safety Committee before footage will be accessed and released to the police department (not the individual). It is the complainant's responsibility to file the police report and follow up with the appropriate parties."
"Cameras funded by grants are owned by TWDC. as it is the fiscal agent providing oversight for the grant-making body. The NVR system is owned and operated by TWDC...."
"The Tremont NVR Network currently has five contributing cameras and has the capacity to take on an additional eleven....."
This is another web of who knows who. While I see these cameras as being a waste of money not to mention the violation of people's privacy, it also provides a false sense of security. There is no one monitoring these cameras so if a crime is going down, somebody is being assaulted, robbed, murdered or what, what good are these cameras? I also understand there are a number of "dummies" to mislead and ward off offenders. (LOL)
Out of date... you are under industrial-class surveillance
Your newslatter date is November, 2008, three months before the bulletin I referenced before, and material promoting the program, from Jan/Feb 2009. What is described in that material is the WebEyeAlert proprierary video surveillance recording system, which handles up to 128 network cameras (which may be wireless so installed/hidden nearly anywhere in Tremont, with the right network. Meaning, they may be inside public and private places you frequent - spy cams on your front and back doors... up to 128 of them on one system, right in the offices of TWDC... and accessable to SOME via the Internet (yes, people with access may be able to sit at home in Bay Village or at Cleveland City Council offices and watch Frank Giglio and Guy Templeton Black come and go, live and on record, 24X7).
Here are some details on the system, from the manufacturer... it is very state of the art and may do any bad deed possible by bad people wanting surveillance of the public - every bad deed possible today!
Disrupt IT
Wow does TWDC website SUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I wanted to take a look at the newsletter you mentioned so I went to the TWDC website as was shocked how worthless it is - it looks and feels like an amateur website from the mid-1990s, and a poor one from then. No link to 2008 newsletter I can find...
What does this pathetic website effort cost and who is the vendor, if any money is wasted for an outside company to provide this...
Costs include contractors and in-house staff time spent on this.
I did find the August 2009 newsletter in an illogical place on the site - it is only available as a .PDF and looks as amateur as the website.
What does this pathetic newsletter effort cost and who is the vendor, if any money is wasted for an outside company to provide this...
Costs include contractors and in-house staff time spent on this.
Disrupt IT
ya think?
and dont bother to tell them. they've been told. they dont care.
the guy on the corner hung up one of those upsidedown tomato growing things and put a large sign on it saying "you are being watched by surveillance camera" I guess so no one would "steal' his upside down tomato thing. but then he didn't water it and it died.
Another bit of
Another bit of information:
I do believe that Twi fi network manages and provides the wireless system for the cameras. I do know that they have a nole in Lincoln Park too.
The Safety committee meets on the 2nd Monday of each month at 7:00pm at the TWDC Office at 2406 Professor.
Also, there were two or three camera proposals submitted to Neighborhood Connections in the February round for grants and none of them were granted in Tremont. The deadline for the next round was yesterday and I do believe that there were at least two submitted from the Tremont area.
Tremont Network Video Recorder (NVR)
From a community buletin, February, 2008, from Twifi, on their website, it appears they are running the WebEyeAlert Network Video Recorder... I didn't research the market or cost so I don;t know if this is a good choice, yet, but this is a subject I am researching and I will find out. This may run with many network cameras, which do not need to cost over $1,000, including housing.
Product industry promotional information here.
What is not clear is what technologies TwiFi is using to network everything together, nor any of that funding or cost structure. In their news about this surveillance initiative they write:
That raises the interesting question of how extensive is the WiFi "mesh" in Tremont. The TwiFi network map shows quite a few hotspots but doesn't make clear if there is a free, open mesh network.
Jeff S., if you are following this, do you know?
Disrupt IT
TWDCorp exercising police function
Mr. Henry Gomez, this seems like an important constitutional issue, one which the Mr. Marburger Bros. and your organization may have the money and interest to test.
If I were your editor/publisher I would be all over this issue. The investigation of this privatized "Big Brother" story would sell newspapers and advertizing. Investigation of whether or not a CDC has the constitutional right to establish public survellience and record the movement of the community without the right of public review - is surely a more profitable idea than Mssrs' Marburger's "24 hour copyright" brain spasm.
That would be helpful since
That would be helpful since they (TWDC) refuses to provide anyone with the inside information, especially me, another investigator/reporter/writer would really help.
scary
big brother, indeed. I look at twifi above and felt chilled. It is hot outside.
Debbie