Big Brother: Average American Caught on Camera 8 - 10 Times a Day

October 17, 2002
By Elizabeth Wolfe

WASHINGTON –– Like anyone else who moves around, the elusive Washington-area sniper is a captive of sorts. The spread of cameras in public places almost guarantees that his image has been captured on some tape or computer disk.

So far, that has not led authorities to the killer of nine people over the past two weeks. Eyewitness reports are so sketchy police cannot produce a composite image useful to the public, and security video has apparently not nailed down his identity.

Still, investigators are obtaining footage taken at stores, banks and buildings near the shooting sites. They have viewed images from cameras that monitor traffic flow, as well as tapes from police cruisers that responded to the latest shooting, Monday night in Virginia.

Now military surveillance planes are pitching in, adding more scrutiny to a manhunt frustrated by a killer's ability to slip out of sight.

The average American is caught on camera eight to 10 times a day, law enforcement officials say.

If that statistic is right or even close, "it would seem a pretty good chance that the killer would probably be on a camera somewhere," said Dave Lang, a video forensics expert at Veridian Corp. in Arlington, Va., which works with law enforcement agencies.

In response to the shooter's audacious attacks at shopping malls, gas stations and a school, businesses are adapting their security measures to deter the sniper from preying on customers. Some area gas stations are pointing cameras away from the pumps and into the space beyond in hopes of nabbing the sniper on tape.

Video forensics examiners caution that adjusting a camera angle might prove futile if the technology cannot pick up images from farther away. As it is, cameras are often clumsily set up, catching the tops of people's heads instead of their faces.

The four-engine RC-7 can provide high-resolution imagery and night vision, suitable for tracking the light-colored van that investigators have linked to the shootings. It also has the benefit of looking like many other small planes, so it won't stand out, and its infrared sensors can detect gunfire on the ground.

Whether human eyes or cameras eventually provide a break in this case, one thing remains certain: Surveillance in public places is becoming more prevalent as the technology improves and becomes more affordable.

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