(SF)

County decides anti-sex cameras too expensive

STUART, Fla. – It appears the Almighty Dollar was just too much for Big Brother to handle in this South Florida town.

Due to the cost, the Martin County Commission decided this week against spending $300,000 on a high-tech video surveillance system which would "talk back" to people, warning them not to have sex on the beach.

Still camera already in use at Jensen Beach Park in Martin County, Fla. The county was considering voice warnings to deter people from having sex on the beach

The county is now looking at posting signs indicating the public parks are patrolled by uniformed and plainclothes police.

Sheriff Robert Crowder also plans on undercover operations to create a sense of paranoia among men cruising the area for sex in public places.

As WND previously reported, amorous beachgoers would have been blasted with a bright light and a voice from above warning against sexual relations in public. The voice would come from $5,500 motion-sensing cameras, made by California-based Q-Star Technology.

Flash-CAM monitor records activity, broadcasts warning messages

The call for surveillance originally came after several high-profile arrests statewide and nationally involving elected officials soliciting sex in bathrooms.

Additionally, a sheriff's office sting in July caught six men at two county beaches on charges of either exposing themselves to undercover officers or soliciting them for sex.

When the proposal was initially put forward, a WND poll of its readers revealed strong opposition. When asked what they thought of the idea, by far the largest response was "Just another case of Big Brother taking over. What's next, toilet cams?"

An editorial by the Palm Beach Post had only disdain for the cameras, mentioning not only a negative impact on tourism, but also practical problems if the monitors were indeed posted:

"What's to stop vandals from taking a hammer or a BB gun to the cameras? Even if the county bought dozens of cameras, surveillance would be spotty. Privacy issues would keep cameras out of public bathrooms, where the solicitation for sex takes place."

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