Authorities have image of suspect dropping black bag near Boston Marathon bombing scene

[Fawke Em]

An official briefed on the Boston Marathon bombing investigation said today that authorities have an image of a suspect carrying, and perhaps dropping, a black bag at the second bombing scene on Boylston Street, outside of the Forum restaurant.

Investigators are “very close” in the investigation, said the official, who declined to be named.

That official said authorities may publicize their finding as early as this afternoon.

The same official also said a surveillance camera at Lord & Taylor, located directly across the street, has provided clear video of the area, though it was unclear whether the image of the suspect was taken from that camera.

http://www.boston.com/metrodesk/2013/04/17/boston-medical-center-reports-five-year-old-boy-critical-condition-victims-treated-from-boston-marathon-bombings/gkKXBTqL2jyNhsC2Kz5GyO/story.html

[BlueCaliDem]

1. "a surveillance camera at Lord & Taylor"

Although I hate the idea of having surveillance cameras around, in times like these, I'm glad they're there. We live in one scary country with gun nuts and the freedom of speech abusers that allow people to publish in books and online how to build deadly weapons of mass destruction.

I hope they catch that psychopath and his cohorts and prosecute them to the fullest extent of our laws.

[Cirque du So-What]

2. I've given surveillance cameras a good deal of thought

and decided that, in public places, they are not an infringement of our right to privacy.

[cascadiance]

3. I think the main thing that one could potentially object to is not applying due process...

... to how this footage is harvested and facial recognition is applied to this footage and having it aggregated in some massive storage site in Utah where anyone's rights can be abused when they aren't suspected of any kind of criminal wrongdoing.

Just like authorities issue warrants either officially or post facto (to the FISA court of the past) when they are pursuing criminal wrongdoers which we want to happen where rights of privacy in those case are sacrificed when reasonable suspicion of an individual or individuals have been found, we should apply similar rules to how surveillance footage is harvested too, so that it can't be fuel for massive surveillance for other agendas.

We need this kind of surveillance for reasons such as what happened here (and by citizens who have cell phones that hopefully can't be turned off remotely that was earlier planned as a means of fighting copyright violations at concerts, etc.). But we need to establish some rules as to how it is used so that it serves law enforcement, and not other agendas.