If you have never heard of Virtual Block Watch (VBW) don’t worry, you soon will.

At first glance, you might think it’s like law enforcement’s Neighborhood Watch but you’d be wrong.

VBW’s are law enforcement’s latest national surveillance program that encourages the public to use surveillance cameras spy on one another.

Why do we need another national spying program? Don’t we already have DHS’s ‘See Something Say Something’ spying program?  

As you will see, one surveillance program is never enough.

Police across the country are encouraging the public to ‘voluntarily’ let police have access to their CCTV cameras.

Currently only six states have begun adopting VBW’s, they are ..

Arizona,
Ohio,
IL,
PA,
Kentucky,
NJ

Last year, Linden New Jersey residents were asked to let law enforcement have access to their surveillance cameras.

“This virtual block watch will bring residents and business owners together in an attempt to prevent crime and improve the quality of life in our community. It is what one might call the 21st Century Neighborhood Block Watch,” Mayor Derek Armstead said in a statement.

“In a virtual block watch, police partner with businesses, community groups and concerned residents to acquire video surveillance involving crime, and having access to these cameras will aid in investigation purposes,” police Chief Jonathan Parham said.

Who started VBW?

A Phoenix Arizona Police Department podcast, reveals that they are responsible for creating VBW’s.

Police already have access to CCTV cameras isn’t one surveillance program enough?

Last year, I warned everyone that DHS and law enforcement are using CCTV’s and ‘Visual Analytics for Command, Control and Interoperability Environments’ to create a national surveillance network.

DHS Purdue claims that letting police spy on CCTV cameras will increase public safety.

“Although the [CCTV] cameras are not deployed for surveillance purposes, they can be utilized to increase public safety by properly integrating with current surveillance systems” said Yung-Hsiang Lu, an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering.

DHS and law enforcement are also using social media to convince the public to join VBW’s.

‘Nextdoor’ wants the public to spy for the police

According to an article in USA Today, law enforcement and Nextdoor are working together to convince the public that spying on their neighbors is the right thing to do.

Using a term we are all getting tired of hearing, police claim Nextdoor and VBW will ‘increase safety and strengthen a virtual neighborhood watch’.

“With Nextdoor, we can help empower neighbors to keep their communities safe and connected and give them the ability to collaborate on virtual neighborhood watch efforts,” Police Chief Steve Conrad said in a statement.

Nextdoor’s Getting Conversations Started wants citizens to ‘model the behavior you want to encourage’ as a way to get people to join VBW.

Because, nothing says ‘model behavior’ like spying on your neighbors.

Law enforcement wants VBW surveillance cameras installed on every home.

‘Every house should have at least four surveillance cameras’ 

image credit: WTAE

An article in WTAE Pittsburgh reveals, that police want every house to have at least four surveillance cameras to spy on their neighbors.

“Police suggest that three houses in each block have surveillance cameras and each house has a set of four cameras.” 

“Cameras are attached to houses on each end of a city block and then a third house in the middle.”

The article goes on to describe, how police want every house to use surveillance cameras to ‘pick up on criminal activity’.  VBW’s are being used to create police surveillance camera zones in Pittsburgh.

An article in WESA FM, reveals that businesses spent $3,2000 on VBW surveillance cameras.

“Councilwoman Natialia Rudiak announced Friday the start of a “Virtual Block Watch” in Carrick’s business district. Fifteen business owners invested a combined $2,850 to purchase and install cameras outside of their locations directed at public thoroughfares…”

The article goes on to say, that businesses collaborating with the public ‘could be a model for other communities’.

No matter what DHS and police call it, VACCINE or VBW, these programs are designed to do one thing, spy on the public.

Collaborating with law enforcement to create police surveillance camera zones is appalling.

America is making Orwell’s book 1984 look like a better place to live than what this country is turning into.