Peoria's "armadillo"Racine police have something fun planned for nuisance properties in the city.
The police department has a MacGyver-esque plan to convert an armored vehicle into a mobile, indestructible video camera.
Known in some communities as the "armadillo," the armored vehicle will be parked outside of troublesome properties and record activity for three to five days, according to Police Chief Kurt Wahlen.
Wahlen got the idea from a similar program in Peoria, Ill. Police there first tried to videotape nuisance properties using a parked squad car, but neighborhood residents smashed out headlights and further damaged the vehicle, Wahlen said.
Peoria police switched to an armored car, which couldn't be damaged. The vehicle proved so successful at monitoring problem properties that Peoria now has a second one, Wahlen said.
An added bonus with Racine's armored car is it's basically free. A 1999 armored car was donated to the police department and the city needs to spend a few thousand dollars tuning up the engine, mounting the camera and painting the vehicle.
Wahlen appeared before the city's Public Safety and Licensing and Finance and Personnel committees Monday night to get approval to accept the donated car. The City Council will consider the donation next Tuesday.
"This is a great tool in our arsenal," he said.
Wahlen said policies are being drawn up on how to use the vehicle. He did say neighbors would be notified when the armored vehicle is parked in front of a nearby house.
The donation easily passed the committees Monday.
"It's a great idea that costs almost nothing," said Alderman Aron Wisneski, chairman of the Public Safety and Licensing Committee.
You have GOT to be kidding me. Put you money into an unmanned drone, that way they never know their being watched. Are nuisance property owners that dumb, as to continue in the presence of a huge, obvious video recorder, or are we for thinking that this will work here in Racine?
ReplyDeleteGreat idea.
ReplyDeleteHAHAHA how stupid! Sure, they will NEVER know they are being monitored! HAHAHAH.....dumb idea
ReplyDelete8:04 - what a dumb comment. By having the truck there, the intent is to prevent things from happening - so who is the dunb one?
ReplyDeleteThe taggers will have a field day. First they will paint over the camera window and the cover it in graffiti! And it only costs a few thousand?
ReplyDeleteFree is great. But I think we are taking the wrong approach. Why are these unmanned? We are getting further and further away from police officers actually being available and around.
ReplyDeleteThey have cameras and we are left on the streets that they think are too dangerous.
I don't give a rats butt about property owners. They need to put these in front of gang houses. One year they busted drug dealing by observing from flat roof tops.
We need to get tough on gangs. Just arresting them doesn't work. We need to find the toughest anti gang laws and bring them here. That takes more than arresting.
RUSD needs to educate these kids so they don't turn to the gangs.
We need jobs to prevent others from joining in on the drug dealing gang income.
The problems are many fold.
The NAACP should demand background checks of gang members.
ReplyDelete"The NAACP should demand background checks of gang members."
ReplyDeleteLame.
Great, now the problem will move from Villa to Park where I live, thanks alot coppers.
ReplyDeleteThis may work initially, seeing that most gang bangers don't read the papers or Racine Post. However, once they are able to recognize the armored monitor they will just move their activity to an area that is not under surveillance.
ReplyDeleteThen who's to say that this is the only purpose the city will use this spycam for. We know we have a mayor that is ethically challenged (it's a matter of record) and is also known for defaming political adversaries. Here's just another tool for his arsenal. No thank you.
So, when you see this monstrosity parked anywhere along your block, be sure to keep your curtains drawn.
Isnt this like putting up speeding monitors? When they are up - nobody speeds. I would imagine while the armoured car is on a block, the neighborhood will be very quiet.
ReplyDeleteBetter yet, if we got a couple dozen of them and had them watching many areas at once, and change it up every few days, it would make it difficult for the thugs and gangbangers to establish any "business".
Orbs are you a racist?
ReplyDeleteYou idiot....
ReplyDeleteWhy doesn't Wahlen just put cardboard cutouts of police officers around the city? Same idea... How does this idiot keep his job?
ReplyDeleteI still don't understand why the majority of the comments fly under the Anonymous banner. If one feels strong enough to comment on a particular subject, why not have the courage put your name behind the words?
ReplyDeleteI still don't understand why the majority of the comments fly under the Anonymous banner. If one feels strong enough to comment on a particular subject, why not have the courage put your name behind the words?
ReplyDeleteHey better idea, just bulldoze the properties that are a nuisance. Its time to lay an iron fist down on this scum!!! Clean this city up and push out this trash that moves in from Chicago's South Side and Milwaukee's North Side. Then go after the scum lords that rent out property and do nothing other than collect the rent to pay for their Illinois house. I'm sorry parking a video camera is going to work as well as the digital speed signs.
ReplyDeleteKeith ole boy, in this current world, there are too many crazy's out there. Anytime, anyone could come and threaten you and or your family. Road rage is a good example of this. My family and property is too valuable to me for me to put my name out here.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure we could get some used tanks from the Marines and fix them up too.I'd like to have one on my street. Maybe every street. Can't discrimate.
ReplyDeleteThe "trick" is that the public will not know when the truck is being manned and when it isn't- just because a squad car picks up the cop (or two, three, etc) that drove up in it doesn't mean there isn't one(or two, three, etc.) left in it.
ReplyDeleteKeith, the reason so many people use the Anon cover is because we have a mayor, city council members and police officers that believe in retribution. It's a self-defense mechanism, and we're lucky to have it. It is true that it gives some absolute a-holes an outlet for spewing their hate and other nonsense, but it also protects those vetting honest opinions from some of the slime balls running this city. If Dickert or Spangenberg or Whalen or some of these other idiots knew who they were, they would never be safe.
ReplyDelete