Mysterious spy cameras collecting data at Colorado post office

[Newsjock]

Source: KDVR Denver

Within an hour of FOX31 Denver discovering a hidden camera, which was positioned to capture and record the license plates and facial features of customers leaving a Golden Post Office, the device was ripped from the ground and disappeared.

FOX31 Denver investigative reporter Chris Halsne confirmed the hidden camera and recorder is owned and operated by the United State Postal Inspection Service, the law enforcement branch of the U.S. Postal Service.

The recording device appeared to be tripped by any vehicle leaving the property on Johnson Road, but the lens was not positioned to capture images of the front door, employee entrance, or loading dock areas of the post office.

... A spokesperson for Postal Inspection Service declined to address the specific reason for the domestic surveillance, but admitted the agency had a “number of cameras at their disposal.”

Read more: http://kdvr.com/2015/03/11/mysterious-spy-cameras-collecting-data-at-post-offices/

[CincyDem]

1. Misleading title at link. Thanks to OP for the correction.

The KDVR (FOX) story title and newscaster introduction highlights spy cameras as post officeS...implying there are multiple post offices involved. The data presented says one. And you have to believe that before they called the USPS IG for comment, they checked other branches besides Golden.

I think we all agree that blanket video public surveillance, but what about targeted, temporary video. When presented as "The Post Office is video monitoring the population of the Denver as it mails it's packages"...seems pretty ominous. When presented as "The Post Office IG has a targeted investigation running at Golden to look for _______. That will require video of the premises."

The fact that the people working at the branch were unaware of the camera leads me to believe there were concerns about something going on in the branch. This isn't a "Post Office employees are bad" accusation. It's just the reality of a company with over 600,000 employees, statistics say at least one of them is into something they shouldn't be. Maybe it was Golden's turn.

Also - if you listen to the "news"cast, it goes on to highlight issues with the post office that go well beyond the story. Things like maintaining a database of addresses and return addresses on each letter/package or not having sufficient database oversight.

I call Hit Job with the intent to push privatization. You think FedEx or UPS doesn't digitize every single package. You think they're data bases are as secure as Fort Knox.

Sorry - I call bullchit on this whole story. There's an issue and something going on at the Golden branch and people are doing their jobs trying to figure it out and stop it.

[FSogol]

7. Agree. n/t

[mountain grammy]

9. The Post Office is a target of the right

and they usually find some way to hit, or at least severely damage, their target. This feels like a hit.

[marym625]

2. It has become more than ridiculous, the surveillance.

This is the kind of thing that just makes me feel like we have lost.

A friend of mine received a letter from the hospital. It had been opened by the USPS. A hospital!

[barbtries]

5. i gave birth to 3 children

at that hospital!
the last at torrance memorial...

[marym625]

8. Never did find out why they opened it

But damn! A letter from a hospital! What an invasion of privacy!

I had a couple of surgeries there. Good hospital. At least I was treated well and had a great doctor

[barbtries]

11. i think a lot of times it's just

because they CAN

[marym625]

12. How sick is that. oy!

[voteearlyvoteoften]

3. Looking for folks sending weed?

My guess.

[fasttense]

4. I'm sure Fedex and the other faceless corporation competing for your postal business

Are recording you every time you use them. Most corporations record your every move while on their premises.

[Smarmie Doofus]

6. I'm astonished....

not at the spy cameras, which are everywhere now.... but at the fact that there's at least one local ( a FOX AFFILIATE yet!) news outfit left in the USA that does meaningful investigative reporting of ANY variety.

Much less of an agency of the US Government.


It's sooooooo, I dunno, "1970s"?

[LiberalArkie]

10. The FBI, DEA and others have done that for ever. It used to be to see who was going to certain

P.O. Boxes. I would imagine they would place cameras outside to match the body of the person using P.O. Box XXX and see what vehicle they used.

When I was younger I worked at a store across the street from the Post Office and feds would come in and sit and watch the doors of the post office with a 35mm camera.