California robot-cop hits streets as surveillance state becomes reality

In an unfortunate nod to both Robocop and 1984, California is taking the concept of a surveillance state to the next level.

Here in America, we are thankful for the guarantees provided to us by our Constitution.  This sacred document protects our inalienable rights, including the right to bear arms and the freedom of speech – both of which are undeniably under attack here in America, almost exclusively at the behest of progressive politicos who wish to see the conservative way of life dwindle to nothing.

In California, where democratic lawmakers have a stranglehold on the legislative system, even the Fourth Amendment is now struggling to remain intact with the introduction of a crime-fighting robot.

Police in Southern California are turning to technology in order to fight crime by deploying a robot out on to the streets to keep a watchful eye over public area.

The robot, dubbed “HP Robocop,” is described as an “autonomous data machine” and is expected to be officially unveiled by the Huntington Park police department on Tuesday.

Equipped with 36-degree video cameras, Huntington Park police will deploy “HP RoboCop” to monitor and surveil areas such as parks and city buildings. The robot will then be able to relay video footage from its cameras to police headquarters in order to facilitate fast and safe responses from police officers.

The concerns over the new devices are simmering, however.

The Fourth Amendment protects Americans from unlawful search and seizure – a concept that has been adjudicated to mean that we cannot be surveilled without probable cause.  It’s the reason that the police need your permission, (or a search warrant), to rifle through your glovebox or tear your home apart looking for evidence of a crime.

Fears that these robots, along with the CCTV cameras increasingly in use by police departments around the country, are constantly watching Americans flies in the face of this constitutional protection.

We must ask ourselves, plainly, if we wish to be constantly surveilled in this manner.  For many Americans, the answer is sharply no.