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Smile, Stafford: Camera to capture properties
Company to photograph all properties in Stafford County
By KAFIA HOSH
Date published: 7/1/2008
By KAFIA HOSH
A Canadian-based research firm will be surveying residential and commercial properties in Stafford County this week.
Representatives of the Zaio Corp. will photograph every home and business in the county over the course of several months.
The private company combines the photographs with an appraisal analysis of the properties.
The information is stored in a national database used by businesses such as banks, appraisal companies and mortgage lenders, as well as county tax assessors.
Three Zaio representatives will take the photographs from the street and will not trespass on any private property.
"What they're doing is legal because it's in the public right of way," said Stafford sheriff's spokesman Bill Kennedy.
The photographers will have documentation, including picture identification, with them at all times, and all must pass a police record check.
According to the company's Web site, all photos are examined to be sure personal information has not been included. Property owners can request not to be included in a database by visiting the Web site, clicking on "Public Interest," then "Remove My Property."
For more information call the Stafford sheriff's office at 540/658-4450 or visit zaio.com.
Kafia Hosh: 540/735-1977
Email: khosh@freelancestar.com
Read more stories about Stafford
Date published: 7/1/2008
Most recent reader comments:
Ok, sooo
(posted by
Terri
, July 1, 2008 5:24 pm)
I read it first thing this morning, and admit, I didn't read it carefully. So, its not a county expense, but its still someone taking a pic of MY house for no reason. You cannot appraise my property without going on the property because more than half of it is privacy fenced. I went to the site, and have removed my property ( I hope). Thanks for the info for those who provided a polite response. For those slinging insults, try to be nice once in a while, geez.
Why can't people READ bofore POSTING
(posted by
2LongInStafford
, July 1, 2008 3:09 pm)
I laugh at all the really dumb people that don't even bother to read the article before they launch into their (very familiar) anti-county government tirades. Read it again, or better still get a family member or friend to read it to you. It is a private company doing this NOT the county. What they are doing is LEGAL so long as they take the pictures from the road. You have no right of privacy in a public place (i.e .on the street).
And for commonsense101. Bye bye. Don't come back.
Even If Stafford isn't paying, it is loosing revenue. If we had a BPOL they would have to register to do business here and pay taxes on their gross receipts.
Correct HasOpinion
(posted by
Justiceforall
, July 1, 2008 2:27 pm)
Tax payer money is not being spent for this. It is the sole function of a private business to sell the data for use by those who have a valid need to know.
Also Common
(posted by
HasOpinion
, July 1, 2008 1:15 pm)
This is also common by all kinds of other companies that do other stuff. For example http://www.skyhookwireless.com/ drives around streets picking up WiFi networks (dosn't matter if secure), and reads the MAC address then records the GPS location. This allows phones without GPS but WiFi to be able to find their location if near mapped out WiFi spots. Then there is StreetView in Google Maps, etc. Stop complaining about a picture. It is the same as a person walking by and looking at your house.
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