The issue of cameras in public places is an invasion of privacy as been a heated issue in the last 10 or so years. I think that having cameras in public places is fine, since it is a public place there really isn't any invasion of privacy. There are a lot of arguments on both sides of the issue but where does privacy stop and invasion begin? You are on a public street or on a public highway, there is nothing private about that area. I feel safer if there is a camera because if somebody tried to take my wallet or something, there would be a camera that would see and maybe help catch the person who committed the crime. Same with a camera in front of a bank, it records who is outside of the bank along with who is inside of the bank, which will cut down the bank robbery attempts. Since the whole 9/11 incident, people have been screaming that they don't feel safe anymore, and have asked for increased security from the government, this is one step to insure more security. Police turned to ATM cameras and gas station cameras to help shed some light on the September 11th incident. More then likely if nobody was told that cameras where put around the city, you wouldn't even know that they were there and this argument wouldn't exist. The one camera that I do disagree with is the ones at stop lights. If your car doesn't have good brakes and you stop at a red light but you go over the line it takes a picture and you get a ticket for running a red light, when you just didn't stop fast enough or rolled over the line a little. .
There have been cameras in department stores and grocery stores for years and nobody has really complained about that but has soon as somebody tries to put on a street to protect you from getting mugged or solving a crime, people start yelling that their privacy is being invaded. Why do department stores or grocery stores put cameras up? It is to provide security against shoplifting.