From the LAT:

In a new step for crime fighting in Los Angeles, the Police Department plans to start installing surveillance cameras on city streets, beginning with Hollywood Boulevard.

Five video cameras will train their electronic eyes on one of the world's most famous - and infamous - streets as early as January. And if all goes according to plan, there eventually will be 64 cameras on Hollywood, Santa Monica and Sunset boulevards and Western Avenue...

On Wednesday, Councilman Eric Garcetti introduced a motion calling on the city to accept a donation to pay for the Hollywood cameras.

The city is embarking on the effort with little public debate over which streets and neighborhoods warrant cameras, how the LAPD will find the personnel to watch the cameras, and how the city will ensure that the sophisticated devices are not used to peer into the homes of residents...

[LAPD Capt. Michael] Downing, who spoke from Warsaw, where he is advising Polish police on human rights, stressed that the LAPD would never use the cameras "in any place where there is an expectation of privacy."

"We wouldn't look inside an apartment window or a backyard," he said.

Although city officials and privacy advocates have objected in the past to police proposals to use cameras, Downing said he believes "people are ready to feel more secure in their communities. I think they are willing to give up a little bit ... for more security."

If you've read my Privacy category, you know this particular drill. There's always an Intrusion Pimp in these types of stories explaining how its painless, or the citizens have nothing to worry about, or all the rest.

For those outside the area, let me explain those strange names above.

"Hollywood Blvd." is where German tourists go to experience "Hollywood." What they find instead are roving packs of street urchins, urine covering the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and free personality tests.

The other streets mentioned are, on the sides of Hollywood I assume would be covered, higher- to high-crime areas with a good number of prostitutes. Male prostitutes mainly on Santa Monica, female on the other streets, with sudden gusts of she-males.

Eric Garcetti is a "progressive," and in one way one might think he'd support privacy, but perhaps he's a bit more "orthodox" "progressive" than originally suspected.

I made fun of his Slate diary here. I was appalled by his support of (largely) illegal immigration here. And, he was one of the guiding lights behind the L.A. City Council issuing its anti-Iraq war proclamation. A joke organization I formed got mentioned in one of his newsletters once (in an in-the-know kind of way), but AFAIK there's no permalink for that. While I haven't spoken to him personally, he doesn't come off as a bad person, just someone with occasionally really bad ideas.