Homeland Security blows $45 million on Chicago spycams boondoggle

by Joel McDurmon on Jan 10, 2012

“Project Shield was supposed to make citizens safer,” reports the Chicago Sun-Times, ”But in the end, the $45-million Homeland Security program more resembled a disaster, wasting taxpayers’ dollars and failing to make a single citizen more secure.”

Under Project Shield, two police squad cars in all 128 Cook County suburbs were to be fitted with cameras capable of feeding live video to a central command. In addition, fixed mounted cameras were to be installed to feed pictures in case of a terrorist attack or emergency in Cook County.

At least two private companies contracting for the technology pocketed much of the cash, yet the systems failed. Whether the ultimate blame lies with the providers or the program managers the report does not clarify:

IBM was the initial contractor for the first two phases of Project Shield. Milwaukee-based Johnson Controls was brought in for Phase 3. According to the IG’s report, from beginning to end there were technical problems.

Fixed cameras mounted on poles also were problematic, according to the report. “These camera often targeted police parking lots, streets and intersections with questionable homeland security benefits,” investigators found. Fixed cameras were even placed in police station lobbies.

Civil libertarians will find some comfort in the fact that this invasive spycam program ultimately failed. They may or may not be as upset over the cost of $45 million to taxpayers. The question of the need for such a program is not addressed in the report—only the focus of loss, mismanagement, and claims of fraud.

In view of all of these aspects of failure, it is worth noting that the Department of Homeland Security’s total budget is over 1,000 times greater than that lost on this one Project. In 2010, the Federal government spent $55.1 Billion on DHS.

Continue Reading on www.suntimes.com

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6 Comments

January 10, 2012 at 2:55 pm

obozo and his supporters with their agenda spen taxpayers money without a care
because they have the mindset they can always get more money.
Stupid people, they are.
Heck, most dictators have better "Homeland Security programs" without cameras, etc. just stool pidgions…
obozo and his amatures suck!
Hey, chit heads, read up on the KGB, get some ideas that work.
Call Putin!

−David in MA
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January 10, 2012 at 2:57 pm

The cameras failed just like the government is failing the American People!!

Time to clean house, vote Ron Paul 2012 !!

−Rosco1776
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January 10, 2012 at 3:10 pm

Ron Paul 2012

−Maxine
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January 10, 2012 at 3:21 pm

One wonders if the benefactors of this obvious scam are directly tied to the criminal Obamas or their 'friends.'

What 'journalist' will look into this?

none who wish to keep their job.

−Gringo Infidel
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January 10, 2012 at 4:01 pm

If the government wants to improve our sense of security, they should fund the Department for Civilian Marksmanship and abolish all gun control laws. This flap is further proof that DHS is un-American, unconstitutional, and a total waste of tax funds. It should be dissolved along with BATFE, TSA, and DEA.

−MalikTous
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January 10, 2012 at 7:14 pm

Interesting that Chicago and Crook County are amongst the worst places for violent crime in the nation, and the same worst places also make it impossible for private citizens to exercise their God-given rights under the Second Ammendment. Within three days of the SCOTUS declaring that the citizens of Chicago do, indeed, have the right to personally own and carry about for their own protection firearms, the ruling elites of Chicago passed a new set of laws that effectively deny that right. It was noted during the hearing that, while Chicago has ten thousand video cameras to "monitor" their citizens, violent crime continues unabated, the citizens unarmed. Just think how many Chicagoans could have been armed and trained with that $45M now wasted.

I fail utterly to grasp the "value system" in use by the Feds of HS that make useless video cameras more effective than the common armed citizen, going about his business day to day as he does. It fits well with the current pattern that government are our saviour and provider of all we need, personal responsibility and initiative are no longer needed. The mindset of the master over his slaves, nothing less.

−tionico
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