TalkLeft : The Politics of Crime

NY Cops To Use Bracelets and Tracking Devices

The new pilot program announced by the New York City Police sounds like an ominous "big brother" tactic to us. The cynical would say that since it is being applied to prisoners, who cares? Others, like us, would point out that many bad policies are applied to the lowest among us for starters, and once having gained acceptance, then are applied to the rest of us.

Upon being arrested, prisoners will be given a bracelet about an inch wide, containing a picture of the suspect, a case number, a basic description of the charges and a bar code. In the future, the police say, the bracelet may include a global positioning chip to track fugitives like a stolen car. (From the AP, Available on Lexis)

Surpisingly, the ACLU doesn't have a problem with the bracelet, so long as the information contained within it is destroyed after the case is dismissed or sealed. Its way too Orwellian for our taste.