To people with a monomaniacal “security” mindset, the surveillance described in George Orwell’s “1984” often tends to be viewed as little more than a good start.  

So we’re not surprised that those security-obsessed folks on the Police Chief’s Advisory Task Force wasted no time in coming up with knee-jerk preliminary support of the Union Pacific Rail Road’s proposal for a camera at the UP’s Greenwood Avenue crossing. 

Hopefully you’ll forgive us our first thought upon hearing of the “Crossing Cam” proposal: that the UP wants this camera added – at the City’s expense, of course – as a first step in a grand plan by the UP to have local governments implement system-wide camera surveillance to help the UP reduce its own legal liability for train accidents at all its “grade level” crossings.

On the flip side, the Park Ridge Police Dept. appears to be selling this as both a safety measure and a revenue raiser.  Officer Laura Kappler’s dog-and-pony show dangled the prospect of $92,000 per month in net revenue to the City if Crossing Cam generates 13 tickets a day – which she suggested is likely, based on a recent test which allegedly filmed 13 violations in just 3 hours. 

Kappler admitted that there is no record of a train accident at the Greenwood crossing, although there have been some car-on-car collisions when boneheaded drivers stop on the tracks and then have to take evasive action in response to approaching choo choos.

Mayor Dave Schmidt, after a little back-of-the-envelope ciphering, noted that 20,000 vehicles per day crossing the tracks at Greenwood over the past 15 years equals 110 million vehicle crossings with no accident.  He asked the obvious question that, nevertheless, apparently had eluded both the Police Dept. and those Chief’s Advisory Task Force-ers: “What problem are we addressing?”

Security, Mr. Mayor!  Or is it revenue?

Both Alds. Jim Smith (3rd) and Sal Raspanti (4th) also challenged the need for Crossing Cam. 

Smith  noted, in response to Police Chief Frank Kaminski’s comment that it would protect the school buses that cross the tracks there, that it’s S.O.P. (and maybe even state law?) that buses come to a complete stop before crossing railroad tracks, and not proceed until it’s safe to do so.  And Raspanti reported that all the resident response to Crossing Cam he has received has been negative.

For the time being, Crossing Cam has gone back to the Chief’s Task Force for “vetting.”  We expect that process will be a lot like vetting the Cookie Monster about Oreos.

We’re all for the City coming up with ways to raise needed revenue – but only after thorough vetting of those processes and only in conjunction with controlling expenses.  If the Chief’s Task Force wants to approve Crossing Cam solely as a revenue raiser and the Council wants to go along with it for that reason, however, then just say so – loudly and publicly, so that there’s no mistaking what this latest Big Brother initiative is about.

And  while you’re at it, guys, why not throw some cameras at the Prospect, Dee Road and Oakton crossings, too. 

We’re not aware of any train accidents there, either, but why leave those potential revenues on the table?

UPDATE:  A happy 269th birthday to Founding Father Thomas Jefferson.  Anybody think TJ would be a fan of Crossing Cam? 

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