LOMPOC COPS: PRIVACY? WHAT'S THAT? LEFTY COUNCIL RAISES TIN-FOIL HATS

Lompoc's finest, led by Chief Kevin Martin, dared to suggest that modern technology might, just might, help them catch criminals and keep the community safe. Imagine the audacity! Our esteemed colleagues at Noozhawk dutifully reported that the Lompoc Police Department is deploying license plate readers and drones — tools that, in any sane world, would be hailed as boons for public safety. But alas, this is California, where common sense goes to die, especially when a good old-fashioned privacy panic can be manufactured.

Apparently, some members of the Lompoc City Council, presumably after consulting their dog-eared copies of George Orwell and their social media echo chambers, have raised 'concerns.' Concerns! About cameras that help find stolen cars, track down suspects, and generally make the police force more efficient. Because, naturally, allowing criminals to roam free and unimpeded is far more 'equitable' than giving our boys in blue the tools they need to do their jobs.

It’s almost as if these perpetual worriers would prefer the police use carrier pigeons and Morse code to solve crimes, just to ensure no one's 'privacy' is inadvertently encroached upon while they're, say, fleeing a crime scene. Meanwhile, actual criminals are no doubt cheering from their getaway vehicles, knowing full well that local bureaucrats are more concerned with hypothetical privacy infringements than with protecting law-abiding citizens. Perhaps the next council meeting should focus on defunding the police's right to see, hear, or think, just to be safe.