The surveillance society continues to grow unabated, as the city of Baltimore becomes the latest governmental entity to trample civil rights in the name of "public safety."

According to the Baltimore Sun, city officials have now authorized the recording of private conversations on public buses "to investigate crimes, accidents and poor customer service." Marked with signs to alert passengers that open mics are picking up every word they say, the first 10 buses with the new surveillance equipment began operation towards the end of October. Eventually, officials say they will expand the program to 340 buses, or about half the fleet, by next summer.

The paper said the audio surveillance will be incorporated into the video surveillance systems already on board the buses (no plausible explanations on how an audio capability is supposed to enhance video surveillance, either).
 
"We want to make sure people feel safe, and this builds up our arsenal of tools to keep our patrons safe," said Ralign Wells, the Maryland Transit Administration chief. "The audio completes the information package for investigators and responders."
 
"People don't want or need to have their private conversations recorded by MTA as a condition of riding a bus," Rocah told the paper. "A significant number of people have no viable alternative to riding a bus, and they should not be forced to give up their privacy rights."

As reported by the Sun, "Video is a critical tool for investigators sorting out the details of an incident, but when witnesses walk away, are reluctant to cooperate or give conflicting accounts, an audio recording can fill in missing information," McCollum said. Translation: Police will now be able to force city residents to get involved in criminal investigations, even if they would otherwise choose not to for, say, personal safety reasons (no word on whether police are prepared to provide such unwilling witnesses 24/7 protection for as long as necessary).