The Texas Department of Transportation has thousands of cameras on the roadways of major cities across the state, and they want to know if they are spying on us. Alex and Wenndy head over to the DOT to find out.
00:00:25.000I've been telling everybody that those are what they plan to put cameras on because in other cities I've seen poles just like that with a question mark wire, a lightning rod, with cameras.
00:00:35.000We're fixing to go over and find out right now.
00:00:39.000Sir, what's your position, Mr. Hurt, here at the Department of Transportation?
00:00:50.000We're doing a story about Big Brother.
00:00:53.000And we know that San Antonio and Dallas and Houston are putting up quite a few cameras.
00:00:59.000Can you tell us exactly what the name of these systems are and where they're integrated, where the video monitors are, and exactly what it's for?
00:01:09.000San Antonio calls theirs TransGuide, and Houston calls theirs TransStar, and each city has a different name for their own particular setup.
00:01:21.000It's called an Intelligent Transportation System, or ITS. And it uses a...
00:01:28.000It uses an array of changeable message sign boards along with closed-circuit television cameras, sensors that are built into the road, all of which are monitored at a remote location to give traffic management people...
00:01:42.000A clear picture of what's going on in the city as a whole at any given moment.
00:01:47.000So it's actually better than helicopters because you can just punch a button and see any area you wish.
00:01:51.000They actually monitor this at a traffic management center that looks very much like mission control at NASA, where they've got banks of people sitting behind computer terminals, but they also have a large display in the front of the room that's like a schematic map of the city.
00:02:06.000Mr. Hurt, do you know how many cameras Houston or San Antonio has?
00:02:10.000No, not just right off hand, on the selected roadways, they're about every eighth of a mile.
00:02:41.000When we start out here, we'll have some online, at least a couple by August of this year, down around the upper-lower level split, and we'll just monitor them here at our district office.
00:02:52.000What we ultimately hope to do is build a traffic management center in a couple of years.
00:02:57.000Where we'll be there, the police department will be there, fire department, EMS, the capital metro.
00:03:49.000Now, listen very carefully to the head of the Texas Department of Transportation, public relations person, Mr. Hurt.
00:03:58.000He was a nice person and pretty honest with us, but he would try to say, oh, well, it's for safety, it's for EMS, it's for this, it's for that.
00:04:06.000And then later, off-camera, he says, well, yes, we plan to give tickets with these cameras.
00:04:53.000Now, the important point for everybody to note here is the contradiction.
00:04:58.000Mr. Hurt says that they're not planning to watch people drive around town, that this is all for EMS, all for fire, all for police.
00:05:07.000Just like with Starflight here locally, for surveillance, they got you to pass the Travis County bond package under the guise of Starflight, but then the sheriff, on tape, And many others admit that they're going to be using these two new helicopters for surveillance.
00:05:22.000Now, he says that they're not going to use it for that, and then later contradicts himself.
00:05:55.000Now, you were saying, Mr. Hurt, that this is mainly just for emergencies and clearing up traffic and directing people around traffic, which sounds great.
00:06:06.000But I would say that the road to hell is paved with good intentions.
00:06:09.000I think we need cameras, but the problem is I don't trust our federal government.
00:06:13.000And I think any systems we put in, they can easily step in and take control of whatever they wish.
00:06:18.000Take California, for instance, and some other states, where they take snapshots with snapshot cameras, snapshot video cameras, and then mail you a ticket.
00:06:28.000Now, certainly you could say, well, you were breaking the law, but I really don't just like the whole climate that I see growing around the country.
00:06:36.000Well, this is not a law enforcement tool.
00:06:38.000It's not something I think that law enforcement would be...
00:06:42.000Disappointed if they actually and they will be part of the but I mean if they if they look at the camera and see the picture it's not like they're going to see your face it's really more of a a broad view of an entire stretch of a highway.
00:06:52.000Some of these cameras in San Antonio and Houston do have zoom capability though don't they?
00:06:55.000Right and we will have some zoom capability.
00:06:57.000We pan, tilt, all of that you know to be able to get an entire look at a problem area.
00:07:04.000But as far as being used to give you a ticket, that's not the purpose, and I don't see that being the purpose.
00:07:10.000It's a traffic management tool, and it's all part of an entire complex where we've already got sensors put in the road in parts of Interstate 35. What it does, it tells how fast the traffic is moving.
00:07:21.000That's the little black rubber bands that go across the street?
00:07:37.000Well, that's all very understandable and very reasonable and needed to, I'm sure, in the modern age, control roads, find out where you need more roads, all that.
00:07:46.000The point I keep making is that I know the federal government gives Texas and most of the states a lot of highway funds.
00:08:03.000That's going on nationally of federal control.
00:08:06.000Just to give you an example, just a month ago, I went to San Antonio with Chief Ali Philippus, who threw out the Delta Force for attempting to bribe him.
00:08:13.000And if you think I'm kidding you, you can call down there and ask them.
00:08:16.000The Delta Force is going to train here, and our little TV show and my radio show were able to stop them from training here.
00:08:22.000And I know that's not your purview and your area.
00:08:25.000I just want to communicate to y'all that that is our fear.
00:08:28.000We'll put in these systems that are there to help the public, that are there to ensure safety.
00:08:32.000And that law enforcement will become more and more under federal control.
00:08:35.000You say that law enforcement, though, will be stationed at the main center that y'all plan to construct?
00:08:40.000Well, there'll be a representative of the police department, maybe several, and the object there is to be able to identify and dispatch, identify the type of problem they may have and dispatch, even before somebody dials 911. They'll be able to say, we've had an accident there.
00:09:08.000They're building a $2,031,000 helicopter hangar, three acres under the roof, according to the commissioner's board, the documents that I've gotten from them.
00:09:29.000On tape, and you'll see that tonight again, saying that, yes, they're going to be for surveillance, but then it says nowhere in the document people voted for the bond package.
00:09:38.000And I know that this is local, whereas your state...
00:09:44.000Just the point I'm making is that the road to hell is paved with good intentions over and over.
00:09:48.000They'll tell us it's for this, and then we'll say, great, we're for it.
00:09:52.000You think it's reasonable, because that's what you believe.
00:10:21.000Our interest is in making sure that the transportation system in Austin and in the state of Texas is safe and efficient and effective.
00:10:29.000With Interstate 35 being a major NAFTA corridor, we're going to see more and more traffic on this road, and it's, for better or worse, it's Austin's main street.
00:10:38.000And anything we can do to facilitate the flow of traffic, that's what we're trying to do.
00:10:43.000And we're at an age now where we're able to use quite a bit of high technology.
00:10:48.000And give the motorist a good deal of information that he or she may not have had in the past before they get into a situation where they're just stuck in traffic.
00:10:57.000Well, it sounds very reasonable to me.
00:11:00.000Just three years ago, I wasn't the way I am now.
00:11:03.000But when you read the statesman and they tell you what a good idea it is, in the May 10th metro and state, it's not a matter of when a chemical or biological attack is happening or not.
00:11:14.000The statesman's exact quote was, in the May 10th metro and state was, It's not a question of will it happen, but when it happens.
00:11:20.000Then you find out that secret military teams have been dispersed all over the country.
00:11:24.000And again, I had the police chief of San Antonio saying this.
00:11:26.000I have articles from around the country.
00:11:32.000And you have this whole move going on.
00:11:35.000And the statesman also wrote that in Chicago and other cities, the Marines and Delta are practicing taking over police stations, water facilities, the communication systems.
00:11:47.000Now, people can say, well, that's in case terrorists take it over, but I just want you all to know, and this is in the media, but they're telling us how wonderful it is, that secret military teams are practicing taking over communication, transportation, water, energy, and police departments, mainly.
00:12:05.000And again, I don't want to, you know, get off into some conspiracies.
00:12:10.000There's a lot of stuff that people aren't paying attention to, and I just see Germany as the leader of cameras.
00:12:17.000And I see Britain as the leader of cameras.
00:12:19.000And Germany, just two months ago, passed the law, unanimously almost, to where they can actually bug homes and actually put cameras in homes.
00:12:27.000But politicians and psychiatrists and lobbyists are exempt.
00:12:33.000And that's in Germany, in good old Deutschland.
00:12:36.000And we know they're the home of Big Brother.
00:12:41.000We're not into getting into your house or getting and listening or seeing anything that goes on into your house.
00:12:46.000At least not in 1998. Not at this point.
00:12:49.0002005. Our dealing with the federal government has always been basically through the Federal Highway Administration, and our interest has always been design, capacity, safety.
00:12:58.000Was it $260-something billion just got passed?
00:13:11.000Yeah, well, that was good news for us because we ought to get probably somewhere in the neighborhood of an additional $713 million a year in this state, which we've been giving away more money than we've been getting back.
00:13:24.000I would think Texas being the most second-populous state, I think we should get more than $700 million?
00:13:55.000Now, you said earlier that the cameras are mainly going to be at the main intersections and mixed masters and areas where congestion generally tends to be or where wrecks happen more often.
00:14:06.000How many cameras do you think Austin will get over the next six years?
00:14:09.000Well, I think over the period of six years, it will probably number into close to 100 or so.
00:14:15.000We'll put 183, the new additions to 183 were built with this in mind.
00:14:27.000You'll see some of 183 as time goes on.
00:14:30.000You'll see additional roadways like Ben White, possibly 71. And as the freeway facilities are expanded east of the interstate towards the airport, I'm sure you'll see it on there as well.
00:14:40.000You talked about the over $700 million and the $2 billion numbers that Texas will be getting over the next six years as part of this new transportation bill.
00:14:50.000Is any of that money going for cameras?
00:14:53.000The money that was just passed by the transportation bill doesn't have any place to go right now.
00:14:58.000I mean, it's not designated for anything.
00:15:00.000That will be up to the Transportation Commission.
00:15:03.000As they fund long-term projects to decide where that money is going to be spent.
00:15:07.000Does the federal government encourage cameras?
00:15:09.000Well, you mean like for traffic management?
00:15:12.000Yeah, I would think that all of us do as far as traffic management goes because it's the quickest way to determine what's going on in a roadway.
00:15:19.000You don't have to wait for a police car, an ambulance to get there, or a fire truck.
00:15:22.000So in the length of time it takes to punch up a button, you know what's happening on the roadway.
00:15:27.000That way you can give your people the correct information.
00:15:32.000Is the $700 million and the $2 billion over the next six years, is that going to help y'all free up other funds to build y'all's new command center, or what would you call it?
00:15:41.000Well, the traffic management center is going to be paid for jointly through the city, the county, the state, all of us that are participating in it.
00:15:48.000The money from the transportation bill, we hope, will go more towards constructing and maintaining the infrastructure.
00:15:55.000And that includes everything from multimodal Projects like bicycle trails, HOV lanes, as well as highway construction itself.
00:16:06.000It's going to have its fingers in a lot of pies before it's all over.
00:16:09.000Basically, if you see a tower or structure with a question mark wire, which I've seen many of, that is the site of a future camera.
00:16:49.000What happens down the road, that's a law enforcement issue.
00:16:52.000But as far as the Department of Transportation goes, that is not our plan or our function.
00:16:57.000How do you all work with the DPS? Well, we work very closely with the DPS because it is the state law enforcement agency as far as patrolling the highways.
00:17:05.000Once you get outside the city limits, if you have an accident or traffic control or traffic tickets or whatever, that's the responsibility of the Department of Public Safety.
00:17:13.000How do you all work with the DPS? Well, we work very closely with the DPS because it is the state law enforcement agency as far as patrolling the highways.
00:17:21.000Once you get outside the city limits, if you have an accident or traffic control or traffic tickets or whatever, that's the responsibility of the Department of Public Safety.
00:17:30.000It's an extremely professional organization.
00:17:32.000We work very closely with them, and they have been of immeasurable help to us on a number of occasions.
00:19:23.000Under your daughter's skin in the near future, you won't have to buy the drinks for her at the bar.
00:19:28.000And that's on page 44. That's the type of mental illness that's in our mainstream media.
00:19:32.000And I challenge you to go read that and then they talk about tollways and transponders and one card for everything and chips under the skin and how wonderful it is and the best part for your daughter is.
00:19:44.000Of course, it's always for the children.
00:19:45.000And you sit there and you read that and then you realize, wait a minute, if the IRS doesn't like me now and they're a bunch of criminals, that's been proven, Well,
00:20:12.000that would take a great deal of technology that hadn't been invented yet to turn your car off.
00:20:18.000All the technology does now is it uses What in effect is a high-tech metal detector to read the speed of the car as it goes over.
00:20:28.000Well, now that's the KTAC. I'm talking about the sensor and the road that measures the speed.
00:20:31.000Well, it's all these integrated systems.
00:20:33.000And, you know, technology's doubling every four and a half years now at this current rate.
00:20:37.000And the point I'm making is, is they do have systems, and it's been on Discovery Channel, microwaves that are harmful to people, other things.
00:20:45.000If they aim at your car for an instant, the engine will instantly stop.
00:20:49.000And they're already making new cars that have more and more transponders and things inside of them.
00:20:57.000I mean, again, this is not a conspiracy.
00:20:58.000If you go and read that sickening article in Time Magazine, The Future of Money, it is a six-page propaganda article, so we'll accept a technocracy.
00:21:27.000What they do is what they do with this system.
00:21:30.000And yes, they are practicing and training and doing tests here in Texas to give tickets with cameras, and it's being done in other states.
00:21:40.000But earlier in the interview, he was giving us the Department of Transportation here in Texas party line.
00:21:47.000And then later off-camera began to actually speak personally.
00:21:50.000And then, of course, here on Exposing Corruption and the Freedom Report, we went ahead and prodded him some more and got some of the information.
00:23:15.000You said it's probably coming, is your opinion?
00:23:17.000No, I think that as far as that goes, it's here because we've already tested, like at railroad crossings.
00:23:24.000But if we can use a device like that to keep people from running around crossing arms at a railroad crossing and save the lives of some kid that's in a car so he doesn't have any choice about that.
00:23:42.000Well, I kind of belabored it there, but I just want to make the point.
00:23:50.000And as soon as we turn the camera on, if he starts going, well, well, they're going to give tickets, uh, and then we turn the camera back on.
00:24:00.000I mean, it does for me to call someone of his stature.
00:24:05.000One of the points I wanted to make was, I've seen one of the tests that he's talking about, and I don't know if it works off a radar gun system or whatever, but near Lake Travis right now, there's a certain road, I can't remember the name of it.
00:24:38.000I think it takes, number one, just spreading the information, letting people know that, you know, I say this again and again on all kinds of shows, you don't have to buy into conspiracy one little bit to not see how damaging many of these things can be.
00:24:50.000All it takes is a little bit of common sense and not much extrapolation to understand that this is something that can easily be abused and misused to the detriment of Americans everywhere.
00:25:01.000It's just like putting uniformed officers in high schools like I talked about earlier.
00:25:08.000You don't have to believe that that's part of some UN conspiracy or Illuminati or global elitist.
00:25:13.000All you have to understand is use some common sense.
00:25:16.000If kids get used to having cops around everywhere they go, they come to your house if you're absent from school, they're in your school.
00:25:22.000If you go to school, they're going to grow up and be adults.
00:25:24.000They're going to get used to seeing cops everywhere.
00:25:26.000So when sheriffs stand up or DPS guys and say, hey, we need a cop in every house or some ridiculous thing like that, they're just going to buy right into it.
00:25:35.000Incrementally, they're getting used to having things like this around, whether it's done on purpose or not, whether you believe in the motives of it or not, it doesn't matter.