Nearer home, in Providence, Rhode Island, the mayor called for secret surveillance cameras to monitor activities on certain downtown streets which he declined to name. His proposal ushers Providence into the growing US trend of electronic policing of public places. As in other cities, the mayor's plan has met opposition from civil libertarians who argue that surveillance cameras violate the privacy of law-abiding people. When questioned, the chief of police adamantly refused to discuss the matter, even refusing to discuss whether they had used such cameras in the past. The debate rages throughout the USA as the use of high-tech surveillance cameras proliferates across the country.
Proponents say the cameras have been successful in reducing crime.
Critics say that cameras provide only a false sense of security and that crime simply moves to other areas. They even point to some communities which have unplugged their cameras over concerns about privacy. The ACLU reported that in 1973, Times Square had hosted a number of cameras but the project was abandoned after only ten arrests were made. Baltimore, which has a very high crime rate, started a video patrol in 1996, using 16 cameras, trained on the downtown area. So successful was it that another 16 cameras have been added.