Following up on the 20-point, all-caps Drudge link to Mayor Daley's plan for security cameras on almost every corner, here's a quick rundown of the more interesting camera stories of late—

Chicago—The police claim its cameras are working like gangbusters, if you'll pardon the pun, and the city is now dividing new cameras into those used as deterrents and those with actively monitored feeds.

Some of the new cameras will have signs nearby calling attention to their presence. In other cases, when it is "to our tactical advantage," devices will be installed without identification and warning, said Police Supt. Philip Cline.

At locations where they have been in use for more than 180 days, "total reported incidents have decreased by over 30 percent," and narcotics-related activities by more than 60 percent, Cline said at a news conference.

Given the London Home Office study of CCTV in America and England that concluded illumination has more effect on violent crime rates than cameras thus far, this sounds like a real whopper, or crime displacement rather than reduction. That's not to argue against cameras, necessarily—consider their role in identifying the 7/7 madmen.

San Francisco—In one of America's most liberal cities, far more people are complaining about getting better results from the cameras than are bringing up civil liberties concerns. In fact, the city claims no residents have requested the removal of cameras. It's worth noting that while the cameras in the housing projects are constantly monitored, the police do not monitor other cameras at all, but use them only for deterrence and evidence collection.

New York—Many gays are rankled by openly gay City Council Speaker Christine Quinn's proposal requiring nightclubs to install security cameras, fearing the cameras may be used to out or humiliate.

Intelligent video is coming soon to the New York subway system. We'll see if it's intelligent enough.

For kicks, check out the Surveillance Camera Players, who just may have too much free time on their hands.

Finally, read about public-private camera alliances in Tshwane (formerly Pretoria), Lancaster, and an especially interesting dispatch from London, home to some 20% of the world's closed circuit cameras.