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August 21, 2007
Under the Watchful Eye: The Proliferation of Video Surveillance Systems in California
From ACLU of Northern California:
A press release on a new report on video surveillance by the ACLU. The first two parts of the report provide the traditional arguments on the threat to civil liberties and the effectiveness of cameras. The third part is the most interesting and contains findings from a public records survey.
Among the key findings of 131 jurisdictions:
- 37 cities have some type of video surveillance program
- 18 cities have significant video surveillance programs of public streets and plazas; an additional 10 jurisdictions are actively considering such expansive programs
- 18 cities have systems in which police actively monitor the cameras
- Only 11 police departments have policies that even purport to regulate the use of video surveillance cameras
- No jurisdiction has conducted a comprehensive evaluation of the cameras’ effectiveness
The real shame is the lack of policies to ensure cameras are used properly. Here is what the ACLU found:
Only eleven of the 37 departments provided any written policies specifically addressing video surveillance. . . .
In San Francisco, the surveillance program grew from two to 33 cameras without any binding regulations: Members of the mayor’s staff and city organizations, such as the emergency Services department, promulgated policies, but these policies did not vest community members with any rights to seek redress for violations and were also easily changed. for example, camera footage originally was to be erased after 72 hours (three days), but the city changed that time span to seven days. It was not until June 2006, almost a full year after the first cameras were installed, that the board of supervisors passed an ordinance providing for some legally enforceable regulations on public processes and the use of the cameras.
Every police department using cameras (including Chicago) should have a publicly available and enforceable policy on video surveillance. As history shows, eventually our blind trust will lead to misuse.
Posted by rshah at August 21, 2007 08:43 PM
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