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Anti-gang monitor system slated for Iraq
Marines in Iraq will soon be watching for terrorists using the same technology that American police departments use to keep tabs on their local gang bangers.Lockheed Martin will be establishing a counter-insurgency (COIN) surveillance technology that will allow them to use cameras to monitor activity on the streets and observe the activities of suspicious characters. The result will be not only real-time intelligence, but a means of learning the identities, habits and movements of people in a particular area to help troops get wind of insurgent activities or ensure the coast is clear for an approaching convoy. "The approach will enable our troops to target specific areas, observe people behaving in ways that they disguise when they see a Marine and collect and link investigative data to identify patterns and key insurgent locations," said Lt. Col Nick Marano. "This data will be available to the tactical unit in the field, as well as command and intelligence centers." COIN systems are currently used by big-city police departments to monitor street corners and other areas prone to gang activity, drug dealing and other criminal activities. The system features a large data base of persons of interest and other observations made by the operators, and a spoken-word recording system to help the Marines keep up with the activity on the streets. Gang unit officers, SWAT commanders and bomb squad members from the Los Angeles and Chicago police departments are assisting with the development of the system and getting the Marines using the system accustomed to spotting subtle criminal activity. Lockheed has been testing the COIN system at an undisclosed desert location prior to its shipment to Iraq. Posted by: Anonymoose 2006-02-02 |
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