Reality TV in Rochester

ROCHESTER - Unfortunately Lou Gramm is not starting a show called 'Juke Box Hero' loaded with dumb ass contestants desperately trying to make a name for themselves. This reality TV comes courtesy of the Rochester Police Department. All out of ideas for combating crime, they have turned to Big Brother, and yes, he will be watching.

It is a sad day for a community as innovative and charitable that we have turned to watching people 24/7 because we can not stop crime. This is not the fault of the police, let me be clear. By segregating our city we have created areas of abject poverty. We all share the blame for this. The people who actually take the blame, however, are elected officials and the police. The distracted public looks for the short and easy answer. Never mind the fact it took half a generation to get us to this point. The public demands it be fixed overnight.

As a result, we get things like Zero Tolerance, Project Exile, curfews and now cameras. As we attempt to cure the symptoms, the disease ravages on. I think these ideas are somewhat lazy, even if sometimes somewhat successful. We need long term solutions to solve problems that are created over long periods of time. The idea of cameras strikes me as a complete lack of creativity and will power. As if we have given up. We can't prevent crime, but if we catch it on tape, we can lock someone up for it. I don't like the idea that innocent citizens are being watched along with their nefarious neighbors. Don't tell me that if you aren't doing anything wrong, you have nothing to hide. Going to the bathroom is legal, it doesn't mean I want someone to film me. But more realistically, do you want an officer to show up at midnight and ask to search your house for illegal stuff?

Watching the news the other night, though, softened my absolute disgust for policing cameras. The residents looked delighted to have them. They were excited about the possibility of having safer streets. I realized, my neighborhood is very safe, and I never feel any anxiety or fear about being out after dark, or that others hanging out are actually up to no good. I am lucky for that. I don't know what it is like to live without confidence in my neighborhood, and therefore I can not judge tactics employed in those areas. The woman's face lit up knowing that her street was getting cameras. She said she would once again feel safe walking at night, and she was happy with that.

I still feel that cameras are not a solution to crime. We need to reach for affordable housing, better and more jobs, and improving the access to and quality of public education. If we can improve on those fronts, crime will go down. If it helps people feel safer than before, however, I will have to accept them as band aids.