Google Street View

[giza]

Who knew there was stuff like this on Google Maps?



If you follow the link to the original, you can zoom out and around and even get the license plate from the front of the car.

(While handing money into a car isn't illegal in and of itself, I think that pretty much passes the threshold for probable cause to perform a search.)

[Edit: It has been pointed out to me that depending on where you live, handing items directly to a driver in a car (food, money owed, etc.) is perfectly normal. So this could be something entirely innocent. Hence the changed subject line.]

Comments

[talvinm.livejournal.com]

How so?

I live in SW Philly. I see stuff like this all the time--and while I am not convinced of everybody's purity, I do see it done for lots of innocent reasons.

"I got that money I owe you!"

"Pick up a pack of cigs while you're in there."

"Here's your food."

Heck, the trolley drivers get their lunch run out to them all the time. Curbside service is pretty common around here, with the parking issues. If, that is, they know you.

If I saw a large sum of cash (I can't see the denominations, here) I might be concerned. But a black man exchanging cash with another person in a vehicle is quite common hereabouts, and presumably in Chicago as well.

Not probable cause for a search at all. It would depend on what else, if anything, was being exchanged. (Or, yeah, if a big wad of cash was getting handed over. Possibly.)

Even the "Stop and Frisk" program requires more than that.

[giza.livejournal.com]

I've never lived in the city so I've never seen any of what you just described.

[talvinm.livejournal.com]

It's an understandable, though regrettable, reaction.

Blame Hollywood.

We've all seen it in the cop shows and buddy-cop flicks. You see a Black (or Hispanic, occasionally Caucasian) man giving money to somebody in the car. Our Loose Cannon With A Heart Of Gold Cop sees this, says, "It's (Jose, Tommy, name varies) at it again!" and then we have a stock foot-chase through the streets, somebody runs across the hood or roof of a car (never, ever seen that, btw) and either he gets away (THIS time) or he gets slammed to the ground, cuffed, and a plastic baggie is fished out of his pocket. (Usually far less dramatic.) and our Hero says:

"What do we have here? Will you look at that!"

Feh. We've all been conditioned.

[duncandahusky.livejournal.com]

Because I'm a colossal road geek, I also did a little poking around when I heard about the problems they were having with I-95 in Philadelphia this week. I little navigation with Google Maps Street View yields...cracks in the support columns?!

[giza.livejournal.com]

Yep:

(http://www.kyw1060.com/95-Crack-Will-Take-Days-to-Fix/1840809)

[lockemaison.livejournal.com]

it could be completely innocent, though.

unless i saw some drugs coming out of the car, I'm not jumping to any conclusions.

[giza.livejournal.com]

Could be. I've no idea, as I do not work in law enforcement.

As a layman though, I gotta admit that it does look just a bit suspicious.

[lockemaison.livejournal.com]

you know what, i was in san francisco a few weeks ago and on my plane trip back the guy next to me was all wound up because so many things happened to him. His hotel room was in the Tenderloin and unsurprisingly he saw some crazy stuff. The one he was most excited about was that he saw a drug deal in broad daylight in the middle of a sidewalk in front of lots of potential witnesses. Apparently there was no mistaking cash traded hands and a big ol' white rock in a bag was handed over.
I guess it all depends on where you live.

[greenreaper.livejournal.com]

Maybe he just wanted an albino pet rock? :-)

[mapdark.livejournal.com]

Google Earth is what is closest to Big Brother at home XD

[kiallamraptor.livejournal.com]

I just took a stroll down in front of the Westin Hotel in Pittsburgh. Kinda neat how its like being there, but without the stench.

[wildw0lf.livejournal.com]

So Google street view is not in realitme, it's just a snapshot from one point in time? How often is it updated? Although this could be an innocent transaction, isn't this how some drug deals go down?

[giza.livejournal.com]

Do I look like a Google employee to you?

Check their FAQ. :-P