Surveillance, a Watchword For Our Times

Meet the friendly new face of surveillance culture.

It's called FaceFinder, and since launching this summer, the smart sculpture resembling a gargantuan alarm clock has functioned like a high-tech photo booth in a courtyard off Sunset and Vine. Sheathed in aluminum and fronted by a glass-shelled video monitor screen, FaceFinder scans its target area outside Borders Bookstore, fixes upon a subject, captures his or her image with a camera concealed in its blob-like "ear," then magnifies every facial twitch at about six times normal size on a 5-foot video screen.

Louisiana Photo Enforcement Program Hits Legal Snag

Although Louisiana state lawmakers have consistently rejected legislation authorizing the use of red light and speed cameras, a handful of local governments, including the city-parish of Lafayette, decided to move forward on automated ticketing programs without clear legal authority. Within days of Lafayette's new cameras hitting the streets, however, a unique legal challenge surfaced.

Local activist Denice C. Skinner filed an official complaint with Lafayette police late Monday claiming that Redflex, the Australian company that operates the ticketing program, is violating a state law requiring a license for any non-governmental entity in the business of gathering evidence for use in court proceedings.