An Empowering Turn Of Events

My company has a building near the Honolulu Zoo, and there is a construction project going on right alongside us. Due to materials being stolen, the City contracted with a company that provides deployable security cameras. These cameras take the form of a large generator with a long mast coming out of the top to which multiple cameras and lights are mounted. Someone remotely monitors the cameras, and they can use a built-in PA system to shout at and threaten to call the police on people who access the space without authority. It seems, though, that the City and the company that owns the cameras don’t quite have good communication lines as the person monitoring the cameras commonly yells at the night-time construction workers. 

A few nights ago, I was standing in our parking structure and overheard this exchange. 

Tower: “This is a restricted area under surveillance. Please vacate the area immediately or HPD [Honolulu Police Department] will be called.”

The construction worker on the ground looked up at the tower. He was clearly part of the company that works in the space.

Worker: “Come on! Can’t you tell when it’s us?!”

Tower: “I have no way by which to identify individuals. Please vacate the area now!”

Worker: “We’re working tonight!”

Tower: “Please vacate the area. We are calling HPD now!”

Worker: “Are you f****** serious? We’re in uniform!”

Tower: “You have to call us if you are going to access the area outside of normal times. Vacate now!”

Worker: “It’s Wednesday f****** night!”

Tower: “VACATE!”

Worker: “Yeah? Well, vacate this!”

Tower: “HEY! What are you doing?! No! No, no, no! You can’t—”

The flashing lights, flood lights, and audio died with a comical “beeewwww” as the construction worker cut off the generator, plunging the area into both darkness and silence. 

Worker: “YOU’RE NOT GOING TO BE CALLING NO F****** H P F****** D NOW, MOTHERF***ER!”

Apparently, the individual in the yard was some sort of supervisor and had the key necessary to access the generator controls. The construction workers went about their business that night, and the police never showed up. Since this incident, there haven’t been any further issues, but we have noticed that the voice coming from the tower is completely different now. 

I wonder why.