Police leaders say cameras and license plate readers are some of the most important tools available to law enforcement; community groups are concerned about the invasive nature of the technology and worry the city won't have time to consider input
In a few short weeks, the San Diego City Council could be faced with a decision: whether to spend millions of dollars to outfit a network of streetlights with sophisticated surveillance tools.In 2016, council members signed off on a $30 million project that pledged to use energy-saving Smart Streetlights to assess traffic and parking patterns throughout the city. What the public didn’t know — and wouldn’t know for years — is that the technology came with cameras that could be accessed by police.
“I share the general public’s skepticism about technology, particularly when you’re not being direct with them about what you have, why you have it and what you’re going to use it for,” San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria said in an interview last week. Public input meetings were announced just a few days ago, and will be held March 6 through March 10. The following week, on March 15, the plan will go to the city’s Privacy Advisory Board.
Experts have long criticized surveillance technologies for disproportionately impacting Black and Brown communities. The databases contain information about vehicles that may have a connection to missing-person cases or crimes like car thefts. Some of the databases are used by law enforcement agencies across the country, while others are produced by departments nearby. San Diego can also build its own watch lists as crimes and other incidents happen.
“These two technologies together provide a tremendous ability to immediately impact our ability to focus resources, investigate crimes, and successfully prosecute and hold people accountable who commit those crimes,” Jordon said. Police officials also accessed streetlights 35 times to gather evidence against demonstrators suspected of committing crimes during protests held in the wake of George Floyd’s murder in 2020— a practice officials said last week would continue.
Another 91 cameras will be placed in District 3, which encompasses Hillcrest, North Park and downtown San Diego. That’s a rate of about four cameras per 10,000 people.Councilmember Stephen Whitburn, who oversees District 3, said in a statement last week that the neighborhoods he represents consistently list public safety as a top priority. He said he thinks the tech helps meet that need.
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