FARK.com: (6867488) A $45-million Homeland Security program that wastes taxpayers' dollars and fails to make a single citizen more secure? How can that be?

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		A $45-million Homeland Security program that wastes taxpayers' dollars and fails to make a single citizen more secure? How can that be? (suntimes.com)		84
		More: Fail, Johnson Controls, camera system, Cook County, Todd Stroger, Homeland Security, Mike Quigley

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14069 clicks; posted to Main » on 09 Jan 2012 at 12:24 PM | Favorite | share:

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84 Comments (+0 »)

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OregonVet

2012-01-09 10:08:48 AM

Marcus Aurelius

2012-01-09 10:16:54 AM

This program would have worked really well on gangs of terrorists that surround police cars prior to striking their targets.

Aarontology

2012-01-09 10:20:00 AM

Under Project Shield, two police squad cars in all 128 Cook County suburbs were to be fitted with cameras capable of feeding live video to a central command. In addition, fixed mounted cameras were to be installed to feed pictures in case of a terrorist attack or emergency in Cook County.

There are porn websites that have had the capability of feeding multiple cameras into a central command for over a decade.

Grables'Daughter

2012-01-09 11:10:39 AM

Huh.

Eddie Adams from Torrance

2012-01-09 11:37:23 AM

Aarontology: Under Project Shield, two police squad cars in all 128 Cook County suburbs were to be fitted with cameras capable of feeding live video to a central command. In addition, fixed mounted cameras were to be installed to feed pictures in case of a terrorist attack or emergency in Cook County.

There are porn websites that have had the capability of feeding multiple cameras into a central command for over a decade.

I don't see how that really helps.

Are you suggesting that having guys in the Cook County command post watching porn is going to protect us from the terrorists?

I_Am_Weasel

2012-01-09 11:39:18 AM

Eddie Adams from Torrance: Aarontology: Under Project Shield, two police squad cars in all 128 Cook County suburbs were to be fitted with cameras capable of feeding live video to a central command. In addition, fixed mounted cameras were to be installed to feed pictures in case of a terrorist attack or emergency in Cook County.

There are porn websites that have had the capability of feeding multiple cameras into a central command for over a decade.

I don't see how that really helps.

Are you suggesting that having guys in the Cook County command post watching porn is going to protect us from the terrorists?

Since the terrorists are embedding messages in the porn, they can do both.

Aarontology

2012-01-09 12:19:30 PM

Eddie Adams from Torrance: I don't see how that really helps.

Are you suggesting that having guys in the Cook County command post watching porn is going to protect us from the terrorists?

Yep. You see, with cops constantly watching porn and not patrolling, gangs will take over. And the gangs will keep the terrorists away since the terrorists will be infringing on the gangs' turf.

ThreeEdgedSword

2012-01-09 12:24:59 PM

Who is driving car?

ha-ha-guy

2012-01-09 12:27:37 PM

Well no Mexican Cartels ended up with a bunch of semi automatic rifles thanks to this program, so that means we're improving, right?

Jake Havechek

2012-01-09 12:28:04 PM

What's this about porn?

LowbrowDeluxe

2012-01-09 12:28:24 PM

Eddie Adams from Torrance: Aarontology: Under Project Shield, two police squad cars in all 128 Cook County suburbs were to be fitted with cameras capable of feeding live video to a central command. In addition, fixed mounted cameras were to be installed to feed pictures in case of a terrorist attack or emergency in Cook County.

There are porn websites that have had the capability of feeding multiple cameras into a central command for over a decade.

I don't see how that really helps.

Are you suggesting that having guys in the Cook County command post watching porn is going to protect us from the terrorists?

I was going to say that I would feel just as safe, but upon reflection, cops spending more of their time watching porn makes me feel even safer.

squirrelflavoredyogurt

2012-01-09 12:29:06 PM

Aarontology: Under Project Shield, two police squad cars in all 128 Cook County suburbs were to be fitted with cameras capable of feeding live video to a central command. In addition, fixed mounted cameras were to be installed to feed pictures in case of a terrorist attack or emergency in Cook County.

There are porn websites that have had the capability of feeding multiple cameras into a central command for over a decade.

Yes but most of the porn sites don't have to deal with Illinois archaic law that requires the consent of all parties prior to video recording. The problem was with implementing a system that would get consent from the terrorist prior to switching on.

mcreadyblue

2012-01-09 12:29:47 PM

Aarontology: Eddie Adams from Torrance: I don't see how that really helps.

Are you suggesting that having guys in the Cook County command post watching porn is going to protect us from the terrorists?

Yep. You see, with cops constantly watching porn and not patrolling, gangs will take over. And the gangs will keep the terrorists away since the terrorists will be infringing on the gangs' turf.

Putting it on basic cable and letting bored cable surfers protect Chicago would be a win-win.

/Bin Laden won.

SkunkWerks

2012-01-09 12:29:52 PM

Easily and Always?

Kit Fister

2012-01-09 12:30:20 PM

OregonVet: [img825.imageshack.us image 640x480]

I see what you did there, Mr. Reese...

Kit Fister

2012-01-09 12:31:38 PM

ha-ha-guy: Well no Mexican Cartels ended up with a bunch of semi automatic rifles thanks to this program, so that means we're improving, right?

You're forgetting the pair of M2 Browning .50-caliber machine guns that the ATF/DOJ let walk to the Cartels that were never found/accounted for...

Aarontology

2012-01-09 12:34:39 PM

squirrelflavoredyogurt: Yes but most of the porn sites don't have to deal with Illinois archaic law that requires the consent of all parties prior to video recording. The problem was with implementing a system that would get consent from the terrorist prior to switching on.

I thought police were usually exempt from laws like that. But either way, it seems like it was a technical thing, not a legal thing. Unless I misread something.

mcreadyblue: Putting it on basic cable and letting bored cable surfers protect Chicago would be a win-win.

A subscription service like Netflix. Might as well make some money while they're at it.

MLWS

2012-01-09 12:36:23 PM

Ironically it would probably cost more than $45 million to fix or cancel this.

Fireproof

2012-01-09 12:36:26 PM

At least we can be sure that all the goats in Kentucky are safe.

Wellon Dowd

2012-01-09 12:37:42 PM

Speaking of DHS, why are they considering letting military personnel in uniform bypass airport security? There was a little incident in Fort Hood a few years ago that suggests we can't automatically trust servicemen.

Sticky Hands

2012-01-09 12:37:58 PM

Gergesa

2012-01-09 12:38:12 PM

Eddie Adams from Torrance: Are you suggesting that having guys in the Cook County command post watching porn is going to protect us from the terrorists?

It might. Perhaps we should have it implemented wherever cruiser twelve works and he can tell us.

hasty ambush

2012-01-09 12:38:22 PM

Q: A $45-million Homeland Security program that wastes taxpayers' dollars and fails to make a single citizen more secure? How can that be?

C. Chicago

meat0918

2012-01-09 12:38:38 PM

I want to run for President, just to campaign on reducing the size and number of our federal law enforcement and security offices. Why do we have a Homeland Security, BATF, FBI, DEA, and ICE? Seriously, these jobs overlap a bit (especially BATF and DEA , and DEA and FBI), there is no reason to have such redundancy

Too bad that's a lot of jobs lost as redundancies are eliminated and departments consolidated.

Eliminate the BATF and DEA and let the FBI take that over.

ringersol

2012-01-09 12:38:53 PM

"How could they have only spent $45M", right?
Homeland Security is usually good for way more waste than *that*.

imontheinternet

2012-01-09 12:38:56 PM

The only thing worse than this orgy of ineffective government spending is if this horrid police state program had been successful and copied throughout the country.

HAMMERTOE

2012-01-09 12:39:03 PM

Why would we want them watching monitors when they can't even see what's going on right in front of them? (new window)

SkunkWerks

2012-01-09 12:40:18 PM

MLWS: Ironically it would probably cost more than $45 million to fix or cancel this.

And double that to have a program that actually does any of the things that this one promises to in the first place.

This just in: You tend to get what you pay for in life.

HAMMERTOE

2012-01-09 12:40:18 PM

Wellon Dowd: Speaking of DHS, why are they considering letting military personnel in uniform bypass airport security? There was a little incident in Fort Hood a few years ago that suggests we can't automatically trust servicemen.

You weren't there for their little "Us and Them" indoctrination training, were you?

Helen_Arigby

2012-01-09 12:40:45 PM

Bear is driving? How can this be?

fruitloop

2012-01-09 12:40:57 PM

ThreeEdgedSword: Who is driving car?

i171.photobucket.com

buckler

2012-01-09 12:41:23 PM

I_Am_Weasel: Eddie Adams from Torrance: Aarontology: Under Project Shield, two police squad cars in all 128 Cook County suburbs were to be fitted with cameras capable of feeding live video to a central command. In addition, fixed mounted cameras were to be installed to feed pictures in case of a terrorist attack or emergency in Cook County.

There are porn websites that have had the capability of feeding multiple cameras into a central command for over a decade.

I don't see how that really helps.

Are you suggesting that having guys in the Cook County command post watching porn is going to protect us from the terrorists?

Since the terrorists are embedding messages in the porn, they can do both.

"One cup if by land, two cups if by sea"?

JackieRabbit

2012-01-09 12:42:30 PM

Was it ever supposed to work? I don't think that's the point.

oldebayer

2012-01-09 12:43:40 PM

ringersol: "How could they have only spent $45M", right?
Homeland Security is usually good for way more waste than *that*.

Came in to ask this. $45m is chump change. They probably spend more than that on their uniforn insignia design.

madgonad

2012-01-09 12:45:46 PM

And how is this different from the $800B+ defense program which also does not make anyone safer?

BMFPitt

2012-01-09 12:46:32 PM

I'm shocked that they were only blowing $45 million.

dj_bigbird

2012-01-09 12:46:53 PM

The obvious problem is that not enough was spent. If they'd spent $90M it would have worked.

mcreadyblue

2012-01-09 12:54:16 PM

Wellon Dowd: Speaking of DHS, why are they considering letting military personnel in uniform bypass airport security? There was a little incident in Fort Hood a few years ago that suggests we can't automatically trust servicemen.

I think you mean the serviceman caught with a few pounds of Semtex last week at an airport in Texas.

wmoonfox

2012-01-09 12:55:10 PM

TFA: "missing records, improper procurement practices, unallowable costs and unaccountable inventory items."

Ah... so, DHS gave local municipalities huge stacks of cash, and we're supposed to be surprised that it was handled improperly? Or are we supposed to be upset at federal workers over the corruption of local officials?

This is the result of "small government" lobbying, folks... if DHS had handled this from end-to-end, it wouldn't be a problem, but they were forced to let the local Bubbas handle procurement and management of the program.

vudukungfu

2012-01-09 12:57:39 PM

FARK the DHS and anyone who supports them.

Nemo's Brother

2012-01-09 12:59:50 PM

I was told that even suggesting a government program is wasteful is full of hate-filled racist teabagging derp.

ElLoco

2012-01-09 01:04:11 PM

Well... that article read exactly how I expected it to read.

I suppose it's bad that I automatically expect incompetence and failure when it comes to Homeland Security projects, but I tend to play the short odds.

Your Black Muslim Credit Union

2012-01-09 01:05:27 PM

I wouldn't say it didn't make anyone safer. I'm sure the heads of the companies that did the install/sold the hardware/took the graft. Are safer now in their new houses in a private gated community.

lacrossestar83

2012-01-09 01:05:50 PM

HEY GUYS
Remember when Bush made up that department? LOL

vudukungfu

2012-01-09 01:11:30 PM

lacrossestar83: HEY GUYS
Remember when Bush made up that department? LOL

And FARK that jerkwad in the farking ass for what he did to our country!

fustanella

2012-01-09 01:12:22 PM

I salute subby's correct usage of an adjectival hyphen in the headline. Woot!

wmoonfox

2012-01-09 01:15:25 PM

Your Black Muslim Credit Union: I wouldn't say it didn't make anyone safer. I'm sure the heads of the companies that did the install/sold the hardware/took the graft. Are safer now in their new houses in a private gated community.

Yeah, except that most of the money appears to have disappeared without any proof that anything was purchased, and many of the departments cannot produce equipment they said they purchased. Don't kid yourself: police and local officials walked off with most of the "mismanaged" funds, and they'll never be held accountable for it.

mytdawg

2012-01-09 01:16:36 PM

I have come to expect no less.

loki see loki do

2012-01-09 01:20:00 PM

Want to save around $100 million on a useless program? Kill BioWatch.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BioWatch

umad

2012-01-09 01:20:03 PM

squirrelflavoredyogurt: Yes but most of the porn sites don't have to deal with Illinois archaic law that requires the consent of all parties prior to video recording. The problem was with implementing a system that would get consent from the terrorist prior to switching on.

You are only partially right. The consent stuff was easy to figure out. The hard part was getting the system to shut itself off whenever the actions of a police officer were at risk of being recorded.

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