Every Step You Take, Every Move You Make, SEPTA’s Watching You

Forget Big Brother. You know who really keeps an eye on Philly? SEPTA, that’s who. (Or, as we’ll be referring to it from now on: “Big Busser.”) According to a report from Technically Philly: “The Police Department‘s 24-hour Real Time Crime Center has access to 1,798 surveillance camera feeds, nearly 90 percent of which are SEPTA cameras at subway stations, bus stops and regional rail lines, said Mike Vidro, the city’sOffice of Innovation and Technology staffer who oversees the Police Department’s surveillance camera efforts. The Police Department has had this level of access to SEPTA’s cameras for nine months, Vidro said.”

The story adds: “The cameras that have been most effective for crime prevention are the ones in the subway system, Vidro said. Many of the video snapshots of crime suspects that you see on the news come from these cameras, he said.”

Which just goes to show: If you’re outdoors in Philly, you’re probably already on camera—despite the Police Department’s failure to get a working network of its own cameras in operating condition. There are plenty of other cameras out there. SEPTA might be maligned for is service, it’s doing a top-notch job of crime-fighting. The slogan, “We’re getting there” actually refers to jail, you punks.