Rio Grande Surveillence Stream Helps You Bust Border Crossers From The Comfort Of Your Fat American Ass

Hey ‘Chippers, are you tired of regular old video games? Are you looking for a more exciting waste of time? Well why don’t you try busting people trying to cross the U.S. border from the comfort of your own home? Yes, for people like jailhouse snitches and those who kick defenseless animals when no one’s looking, the Texas Border Sheriff’s Coalition has set up 13 cameras along the Rio Grande that are streaming online so you at home can try to find people trying to cross into a better life—anonymously! As a “virtual deputy,” you stare at your screen and report any suspicious activity you see. Was that Patti from Oaxaca that just tried to sneak a peek into the glorious US of A, or a bush blowing in the wind? The TBSC, for their part, says it’s really looking out for drug dealers, not the Pattis of the world (wink, wink), but it would know what to do with such information if you send it in.

The project is the result of a partnership between the Texas Border Sheriff’s Coalition and BlueServo, a social networking site that is hosting the video. The Sheriffs Coalition insists that the system is focused on catching criminals, not illegal immigrants, although the sheriffs office may contact the U.S. Border Control to convey reports of suspicious immigrant activity as well.

So far, up to 21,000 people have signed up to be Virtual Deputies from as far away as Ohio, and it’s actually done some good (we think). They’ve already busted three guys bringing in 540 pounds of marijuana over the border after someone spotted them online. So for people like that, people who stare at their screens waiting for someone to pass through a lens hundreds of miles away… what’s their reward? What do they get out of it? BlueServo, the social networking site we’ll never visit, sums it up nicely.

Aside from the satisfaction of knowing they’ve done their part to combat crime, they get the opportunity to become targeted consumers.

Ah, Americana at its best.
$2 Million Texas Surveillance System Nets 500 Lbs of Pot [Wired, via Kotaku]