aGameOfThrones
08-18-2011, 11:44 PM
Philadelphia leaders imposed an early curfew on parts of the city this month after roving bands of teens beat and robbed bystanders during violent attacks across the city. This week, surveillance cameras caught several dozen youths swarming into convenience stores in Germantown, Md., and Washington, D.C., and stealing armfuls of snacks and drinks as the store clerk looked on helplessly.
The suspects in these crimes often connected via cellphones and share information on social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook, police say.
How best to combat the technology-connected crimes — and how far police agencies should reach into private online and mobile phone access — are at the core of a growing debate among police officials, city leaders and civil rights activists. Everyone agrees: It's uncharted territory for law enforcement.
"You're looking at an emerging form of crime," says Sean Varano, a criminologist at Roger Williams University in Bristol, R.I. "We don't know what power these police agencies have to monitor these websites or where do reasonable expectations of privacy start. "
"I'm deeply disturbed by the idea that a government agency will shut down cellphone service if they suspect there is a planned protest," Jeschke says.
After the violent attacks by youths in Philadelphia, city leaders decided to enforce a 9 p.m. curfew for teens under 18 in certain parts of the city, says Everett Gillison, the city's deputy mayor for public safety. Police officers began closely monitoring Facebook and Twitter pages for signs of trouble, he says.
Philadelphia police can shut down cellphone service in any part of the city if danger is imminent, he says. So far, they have not used that tactic. "We've gotten through this kind of thing in the past and we didn't have to suspend civil liberties to do so," Gillison says.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2011-08-18-flash-mobs-police_n.htm
The suspects in these crimes often connected via cellphones and share information on social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook, police say.
How best to combat the technology-connected crimes — and how far police agencies should reach into private online and mobile phone access — are at the core of a growing debate among police officials, city leaders and civil rights activists. Everyone agrees: It's uncharted territory for law enforcement.
"You're looking at an emerging form of crime," says Sean Varano, a criminologist at Roger Williams University in Bristol, R.I. "We don't know what power these police agencies have to monitor these websites or where do reasonable expectations of privacy start. "
"I'm deeply disturbed by the idea that a government agency will shut down cellphone service if they suspect there is a planned protest," Jeschke says.
After the violent attacks by youths in Philadelphia, city leaders decided to enforce a 9 p.m. curfew for teens under 18 in certain parts of the city, says Everett Gillison, the city's deputy mayor for public safety. Police officers began closely monitoring Facebook and Twitter pages for signs of trouble, he says.
Philadelphia police can shut down cellphone service in any part of the city if danger is imminent, he says. So far, they have not used that tactic. "We've gotten through this kind of thing in the past and we didn't have to suspend civil liberties to do so," Gillison says.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2011-08-18-flash-mobs-police_n.htm