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Maryland County Exec. Discovers Secretive Network of 500+ Surveillance Cameras Operated Out of Unmarked Room

Mar. 6, 2013 3:22pm Liz Klimas

Little Known Network of 500 Cameras in Anne Arundel County Public Buildings Spurs Investigation

(Photo: Shutterstock.com)

A network of hundreds of cameras inside and outside Anne Arundel County public buildings in Maryland, unbeknown to the local authorities and county officials, was shut down earlier this week. Now officials are trying to find out more about the extensive operation.

The system of more than 500 cameras, the Baltimore Sun reported, was discovered by County Executive Laura Neuman, who just recently was sworn into the position. The Sun describes the room where the surveillance operation was conducted as small, unmarked and unknown to many until now.

Neuman launched an investigation into the system, but the Sun reports that the former county executive John Leopold, who resigned when found guilty of misconduct, was a point person for the camera system.

Just how Neuman was alerted to the cameras is intersting in and of itself. Here’s what happened according to the Sun:

Neuman was alerted to the cameras when the contractor monitoring them greeted her in the parking lot on her first day. She wondered how he knew she had arrived. She asked him about his job, and he showed her the surveillance room.

“I thought it was unusual,” Neuman said. “I saw cameras monitoring activity all over the county. I would think something like that would be handled through the police department rather than an unmarked office on the first floor of the Arundel Center.”

Neuman declined to identify the contractor. William Hyers, who said he was fired that day, told The Sun on Monday that he was the person monitoring the cameras. A county spokesman confirmed Hyers was let go but would not discuss why, citing personnel issues.

WJZ reported Neuman saying the contractor (Hyers) was reporting to the former county executive directly, not the police.

“To say it’s unconventional is an understatement,” Neuman told WJZ.

Watch WJZ’s report:

Hyers, speaking with the Sun, said if the police had asked about the system, he would have shown them everything.

Although WJZ reported that police didn’t know about the system, the Sun reported county police spokesman Justin Mulcahy saying they had a log of maintenance requests but never saw footage from the cameras. Mulcahy also noted to the Sun that the department could have requested footage if they needed to. WBAL TV also reported the county police saying they had a log for camera maintenance.

Of the cameras that have been found, none were in improper places, the Sun reported. The cameras themselves are still running, but system to monitor the feed was shut down. The investigation is evaluating recorded footage and is trying to determine how long the cameras have been in place and if any county money was used to purchase them in addition to the Department of Homeland Security grant, which Neuman told the Sun had funded them.

The Sun reported the county police chief who served from 1998 to 2006, P. Thomas Shanahan, saying he remembers when some cameras were installed, citing protection of people and property as their purpose. The Citizen Gazette reported Hyers elaborating further, saying they were installed in 2003 or 2004 in response to thefts of property and that his monitoring was conducted as part of the police department’s intelligence unit. But the Gazette reported Neuman being told by Police Chief Larry Tolliver that the system was not operated by the department.

Here are the thoughts of local councilmen regarding the cameras, according to the Sun:

Several County Council members said they weren’t aware of the surveillance room until asked about it by Neuman. Councilman David Fink, a Pasadena Republican, said the issue should continue to be investigated.

“I just wonder why this thing is in the Arundel Center,” Fink said. “I just think there are a lot of questions that need to be answered.”

Councilman Dick Ladd, a Severna Park Republican, also said it is important to make sure the cameras are used appropriately.

“I think that surveillance cameras, when done appropriately, are OK,” he said. “There are lines that we can go over. I don’t know if we crossed those lines.”

Council Vice Chairman John J. Grasso, a Glen Burnie Republican, said he didn’t learn about the cameras until last week but he said he doesn’t have a problem with their placement in county facilities. Grasso said that in his two years on the council, he didn’t recall voting on any actions related to the security cameras.

“To me, I think it’s a good thing,” Grasso said. “They should be out there. As long as people aren’t doing anything wrong, there’s nothing to be afraid of. There should be cameras wherever they need to be and sound wherever there needs to be sounds. … This is a government facility. This isn’t someone’s house. To me, I think cameras are free game anywhere in a government facility.”

The police department is taking care of the investigation into the camera system.

–

Featured image via Shutterstock.com.

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Comments (66)

Goldi
Posted on March 6, 2013 at 5:06pm
If you want to see corruption in maryland you should just look at the health exchanges. Salaries out of control, contracts being awarded to relatives with no experience. Yep – way to go gov!

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- turkey13
  Posted on March 6, 2013 at 8:06pm
  NYC has them beat ! They have gas scensing instruments all over town that know when you pass gas and WAMO – there is a policeman there writeing a ticket.
  
  Report this comment
- armyofnibiru
  Posted on March 7, 2013 at 4:31pm
  can we get these cameras in the white house and congress,i mean if your looking for crimes there you go.
  
  Report this comment
denkat56
Posted on March 6, 2013 at 4:48pm
Can you say the white house authorized the cameras.

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- PASSIONFORCHRIST
  Posted on March 6, 2013 at 9:53pm
  “To me, I think it’s a good thing,” Grasso said. This is a government facility. This isn’t someone’s house. To me, I think cameras are free game anywhere in a government facility.”
  
  HE IS ABSOLUTELY CORRECT! I work for the school district, and if they had camera’s you bet your A$$ these teachers would be doing their jobs(50% DO THEIR JOBS, THE OTHERS ARE COMMIES). SCHOOLS ARE PUBLIC PLACES! And don’t give me that “What about my child’s privacy.” Maybe if they saw how their children act w/adults at school they might teach their children RESPECT, RESPONSIBILITY, AND HARD WORK! That would show you which parents condone the behavior. Give them 2 and only 2 options as a parent who’s child is in public school.First choice is:
  Teach them four important things in LIFE:
  1. Respect at all times.(sometimes it’s hard, but do it anyways. Believe me, it pays off in the long run)
  2. Listen, because if you don’t listen you won’t know what to(directions/instructions).
  3. Follow directions/instructions, but you can’t do this one without # 2.
  4. Do your work and study, because when you work hard for something you really appreciate it more.
  Second choice:
  If you can’t teach your child these four basic rules in life, your child can’t attend our public school.
  Why? Because if your child is not there to learn or follow directions/instructions with respect, then they should not be allowed to attend my school I PAY FOR even though my children don’t go there anymore.
  
  Report this comment
Baddoggy
Posted on March 6, 2013 at 4:45pm
2+2=5 The 4TH Ammendment is DEAD….

Everyone is worried about the 2nd Ammendment and your 4th Ammendment is GONE!

If you don’t know what the 4th ammendment is and you gripe abi=out the second ammendment…you need to shut your pie hole because you are a part time fool…you are almost full time fool!!!!!

The second ammendment will vanish because you allowed the 4th to be stolen. They search you at the airport and you think it’s OK??? FOOL!

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- marybethelizabeth
  Posted on March 6, 2013 at 5:09pm
  You are absolutely right.
  
  The posters here would rather complain about something that hasn’t happened and most likely won’t then something that is happening.
  
  Mr. Beck today didn’t understand this difference; between offering an opinion that the military could use drones in the US, which has not happened, to President’s Bush’s illegal wiretaps, which was an ongoing program.
  
  Report this comment
- sligresda
  Posted on March 6, 2013 at 6:28pm
  dont forget marybeth, obama not only continued with the bush wiretapping but has also expanded the program. lets be consistent.
  
  Report this comment
- Fubared
  Posted on March 6, 2013 at 7:35pm
  BarryMeth is consistent only in the blather. The option was left open to your dear leader BarryMeth.
  
  Report this comment
- Mister Natural
  Posted on March 7, 2013 at 7:53am
  Since we’re playing the “some Bill of Rights amendments are better than others” game let us try this out, it’s guaranteed to make the anti-gun zealots (more) crazy.
  Proposed:
  Step 1= Pick a city with strict gun laws and a high rate of gun violence. How about Chicago?
  Step 2= Select the section of the city that has the highest numbers of shootings and/or the section in which the largest # of convicted shooters lived prior to conviction. How about the Chicago Housing Authority “projects”?
  Step 3= Do house to house/apartment to apartment searches of every residence in that section to seize illegal weapons.
  Step 4= Warrants? We ain’t got no warrants. We don’t need no stinking warrants! (We do have these badges, though.)
  To hell with the 4th amendment if it’s for the good of the community or it just saves ONE life. What’s so unreasonable about that kind of search and seizure?
  Step 5= sit back and enjoy the spectacle emanating from the lib universe
  
  Report this comment
- armyofnibiru
  Posted on March 7, 2013 at 4:38pm
  marybeth your right.it was continued from bush ,who got it from clinton who got it from 41 who reinstated it after reagan closed it .but it was born by catter(carter)
  
  Report this comment
Rowgue
Posted on March 6, 2013 at 4:44pm
Why are they hung up on the fact that it wasn’t being operated by police. I would have just as much trouble with it had it been operated by police. If a private business wants to put security cameras up on their property that’s one thing. The county throwing up cameras in every conceivable location in the county is something else entirely. Even if it were police doing it it would be just as ridiculous.

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- mikem1969
  Posted on March 7, 2013 at 8:23am
  So would I, but more and more things like this are showing up that city and county administrators are unaware of, and I think that was the whole point. This is why I live in the country, no cameras, and if a drone flies over my house, it will get shot.
  
  Report this comment
JoeSix-Pack
Posted on March 6, 2013 at 4:41pm
1984 here we come.

We are moving to this utopia much more quickly these days. Please thank President Obama for this ‘fundamental CHANGE’.

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tonypro
Posted on March 6, 2013 at 4:32pm
“” “To me, I think it’s a good thing,” Grasso said. “They should be out there. As long as people aren’t doing anything wrong, there’s nothing to be afraid of. “”

This is exactly the response about drones spying on citizens.
All of the equipment, to include the cameras, need to be destroyed to prevent there perverted future use.

My money is on the fact that this is going on across the entire country, all in the name of homeland security, and it’s for our own good.

Someone needs to be brought before a judge on this.

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- its_the_end_of_the_world_as_we_know_it
  Posted on March 6, 2013 at 5:46pm
  … as if judges will rule correctly on this.
  
  Report this comment
DougHuffman
Posted on March 6, 2013 at 4:31pm
I served a term as Town Boardmember Supervisor. Budget creation, monitoring and payment approval were the only effective actions. AA Co. needs to fire every employee that sleezed their fidicary responsible.

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Ruckus_Tom
Posted on March 6, 2013 at 4:29pm
Government property surveillance systems should be broadcast over the internet where any citizen can log in to see what’s going on. Want so see who’s been arrested recently? Just go on line and see for yourself. Want to find out what’s happening in traffic court? Here’s the web site. Which kids (or teachers) are acting up in 10 grade English class? Here you go.

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YOURSENSEI
Posted on March 6, 2013 at 4:26pm
This is what you must know:

Duh!

It is so.

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- Toltepeceno
  Posted on March 6, 2013 at 6:30pm
  You speak fluent Ilbtard I see.
  
  Report this comment
- llotus
  Posted on March 6, 2013 at 9:45pm
  yoursensei…..ye ye ye. And I found my thrill on blue berry hill. :-) It is so. Lotus.
  
  Report this comment
Tom K
Posted on March 6, 2013 at 4:20pm
So our Federal Dept. of Homeland Security were only too happy to set up some grant money for those local Leftists to set up a Secret Surveillance Room with 500 cameras ! Your Tax Dollars working for the Totalitarian Regime. Put this system in downtown BALTIMORE to catch the rampant Black on White crime that happens almost every night and every weekend ! Someone besides the local police should investigate this Fraud on Freedom.

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- Kisses6350
  Posted on March 6, 2013 at 6:31pm
  By God! Your even making surveillance cameras racist! There is plenty of crime everywhere! Why most everything be broken down by color?
  
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Waydah
Posted on March 6, 2013 at 4:09pm
“They should be out there. As long as people aren’t doing anything wrong, there’s nothing to be afraid of.”
I’m so tired of hearing some bureaucratic dweeb spouting this line! Any public “official” who doesn’t understand the error in that thinking does not understand the US Constitution and should therefore be fired!

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- tonypro
  Posted on March 6, 2013 at 4:35pm
  Somehow I missed your comment.
  Could’ve saved me from posting the same thing.
  :-)
  
  Report this comment
ENIGMA28724
Posted on March 6, 2013 at 4:08pm
Fired for personnel issues my a$$. He was fired because he let the cat out of the bag about this Orwellian plot.

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jackact
Posted on March 6, 2013 at 4:00pm
True Blue States are becoming more Orwellian by the minute.
If there was a church with (1) hidden camera a block away from this government building it would be considered ‘intrusive’ and the ACLU would be up in arms.

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progressiveslayer
Posted on March 6, 2013 at 3:49pm
Voter apathy allowed this police state to be constructed,that and a populace ignorant of their constitutional rights. We’ve become like the old E.Germany and the stasi (DHS) are watching and reading any e mail they like,no warrants and drones to kill anyone deemed a terrorist by the government.
Such is life in new Amerika,I never thought I’d see the day but it’s here and you know what they say about a government program or agency,it never goes away it only gets bigger.

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- ICSPADES
  Posted on March 7, 2013 at 6:00am
  They soon will have all the cameras in place and the games will begin. They will watch us destroy and eat each other as you watch sports now. They will be amused how constructive the minions are when it comes to survival. There will be huge viewing parties with all the foods prepared for the elite and they will be dressed in their finest clothes to attend. I will tell my future grandson or daughter that I could remember the day when “Hunger Games” was only a movie as we search for hiding and food in the wilderness.
  
  Report this comment
MDECKER
Posted on March 6, 2013 at 3:43pm
Is Chairman John J. Grasso ok with having a surveillance camera inside his office? If he is doing nothing wrong, I don’t see the reason why he would oppose a complete stranger from surveilling him while he worked in a Government building.

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Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on March 6, 2013 at 3:43pm
Big Brother continues to disregard the law ‘for the benefit of the common good’ which means ‘to have absolute control over you all 24/7.”

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- damnedifwedont
  Posted on March 6, 2013 at 4:29pm
  USSA,AmeriKa.
  
  Report this comment
Sharon Rose
Posted on March 6, 2013 at 3:42pm
Government needs to butt our of our lives, cameras there, where next?

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- Sharon Rose
  Posted on March 6, 2013 at 3:45pm
  “out” my bad keyboard
  
  Report this comment
media-bias-steals-elections
Posted on March 6, 2013 at 3:38pm
In a land where the majority of people obey the law, how much does frivolous “search” without seizures cost the “war on poverty” or the war on the middle class with taxes?

Don’t worry, your taxes are safe and secure?

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Cavallo
Posted on March 6, 2013 at 3:37pm
But the feds would never do anything like this, right?

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Thighmaster
Posted on March 6, 2013 at 3:37pm
“They should be out there. As long as people aren’t doing anything wrong, there’s nothing to be afraid of.” This should go for government officials too anytime they’re on the job….

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- Anonymous T. Irrelevant
  Posted on March 6, 2013 at 4:19pm
  Let’s put them in school classrooms, too, as long as it’s a government facility.
  He thinks the cameras are free game anywhere in a government facility, as long as it’s not someone’s house. Well, buster, it DOES happen to belong to the people, not to the government. Where do we get Republicans like this?
  
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Stoic one
Posted on March 6, 2013 at 3:37pm
And they MD gov’t wants to disarm the populace.

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Salamander
Posted on March 6, 2013 at 3:36pm
Sounds to me like county officials have too much time on their hands, and access to too much money!

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INFIDEL
Posted on March 6, 2013 at 3:36pm
Read the e-book Atlas on Ice. It predicts a lot of what’s going on in America today – including the cameras, the spying on people through their cell phones, the spy drones, the complete control of people’s lives under a totalitarian government.

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SocialistSlayer
Posted on March 6, 2013 at 3:32pm
There are cameras at almost every intersection in most cities around the US . The government is monitoring everything we do ! Welkome to the Communist States of Amerika where Communist obama watches our every move. Just like a scene out of Twilight Zone !

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elosogrande
Posted on March 6, 2013 at 3:28pm
If taxpayer money paid for this, everyone involved, as well as everyone who was aware of the program, must be fired immediately. Everyone! No pensions. No healthcare. No nuthin’!

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- Fubared
  Posted on March 6, 2013 at 3:37pm
  MD is steadily raising taxes and like many lib bastions companies are leaving and peeps are voting with their feets. MD sucks.
  
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- RightUnite
  Posted on March 6, 2013 at 3:39pm
  It’s a nice thought, but don’t hold your breath!
  
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- fuzzy20841
  Posted on March 6, 2013 at 6:38pm
  No one will get fired! It rarely happens in public service. More likely promotions or lateral arabesques are in order. Sleaze covers sleaze especially here in the little Moscow on the Potomac. Spiro Agnew and Marvin Mandel look good now!
  
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