Law enforcement is able to watch, record, and listen to everything we say and do in public places. They have the right to take pictures, and record conversations we have with others. In addition, they may also follow us and track us with our cell phones. Some may feel violated by an officer’s ability to do this and ask the question “is public surveillance and invasion of privacy and should it be made illegal? “ The answer is no. Public surveillance is not an invasion of privacy; when going into public citizens give up our right to this privacy.
It’s common for one to see police officers on television following a suspect around in their car-keeping tabs on their every move. On occasions, officers may sit in a car outside the suspect’s house and watch them come and go. The officer gains vital information about this suspect by watching them. They may also follow the person to where they go, and who they meet with in order to gather information about what they are illegally involved with; or if they are involved with anything illegal at all. It is completely legal for government officials to do this, and they need no court or judge approval. Some may say this is an invasion of privacy, but in actuality it’s not. When we as citizens go in public we are aware that we will be surrounded by other people; therefore, we give up the right to complete privacy. If a person doesn’t want anyone looking at them then they shouldn’t go in public. We are human beings and are naturally observant creatures; it’s unrealistic to believe that a person can have complete privacy when in public. Furthermore, if one is not engaged in any illegal activities they shouldn’t care if they are being watched. Public surveillance has been used on many occasions to catch criminals, and save lives. Police officials are doing their job by catching bad guys, and keeping the community safe.
Another common technique law enforcement uses is photographs/recordings and tracking devices. When in public, government or local officials may take photographs and recordings of the things we do or say. Is it an invasion of our privacy rights for them to do so? No, the government does indeed have the right to photograph people when in public, and use these photographs against them in the court of law. Citizens have a constitutional right to photograph anything we see in