Seems that way.
Here’s a version of a security camera shot of a recent cell phone “heist,” or what what the world’s non-Nevii would probably call a robbery:
Click to expand
Should I claim credit for this photo as well? I mean, do you think that you took this photo yourself, Nevius?
Moving on:
“As he headed down the street, he must have thought the heist* had gone perfectly.”
Uh, hello, Nevius. You’re not telling a story in a bar here, you’re writing for the Paper of Record. So you shouldn’t make up what the thoughts of strangers are. Remember, fundamentally, you’re just a simple-minded sportswriter – you’re not God, you’re not omniscient, right?
“What he didn’t know was that new technology captured everything on video.
It’s not new technology, Neve. It’s the opposite of new technology. Do you even know what the word “technology”** means, Neve? I don’t think you do.
“Civil libertarians are likely to complain about creeping Big Brother-ism, but that horse has long since left the barn.”
Well that’s sort of their job, by definition. Do you think a phalanx of monolithic civil libertarians will react to this incident as you suggest they will?
I don’t.
Nevius, do you have somebody who could look over your words before the hot metal starts to fly? Maybe somebody could be around to tell you, “No Neve, you can’t just make up what you think others were thinking.” You know, stuff like that.
Just saying, bro.
*Was this a heist, really?
“A heist is a term used to describe a robbery from an institution such as a bank or a museum, or any robbery in which there is a large haul of loot.” Are you trying to minimize the importance of this crime, Neve? Like you’re a sarcastic public defender? I don’t think so. Oh well.
**An application of science, simply put.
[UPDATE: The SFPD weigh in here:
11-086
Posted Date: 8/2/2011
A courageous taxi cab driver, who happened to be at the corner parked, saw this occur. The cab was also equipped with a new camera technology system which captured the incident. This new technology records the front of the cab as well as the interior of the cab.
The cab driver pulled up to the victim and assisted the victim by having her get inside his cab and handed her his own cell phone to contact police. The victim gave police dispatchers the location of the suspect as the cab driver followed him. The suspect was subsequently taken into custody by police with the help of the cab driver and the victim.
The cab driver is to be commended for his actions, which helped police take a robbery suspect off the streets of San Francisco.
The police department will be presenting the cab driver with an award at the Police Commission meeting on Wednesday, August 3, 2011 honoring him for his assistance.
Taken into custody was Brandon C. West, 20 years old, San Francisco resident. He was booked for 211PC (robbery) at San Francisco County Jail.]
