Watchdogs Weigh In On DC Mayor's Surveillance Plan
The American Civil Liberties Union, the Constitution Project and Electronic Privacy Information Center sent a letter Friday to members of the D.C. City Council calling on them to reject Mayor Adrian Fenty's request for more than $900,000 for the Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency to centralize monitoring of more than 5,000 cameras installed in public schools, public housing, and residential neighborhoods.
The cameras are currently operated under the auspices of several different city agencies, including the Metropolitan Police Department, which has implemented policies governing use and protecting individual privacy that have been heralded by law enforcement officials, public security experts, and privacy advocates as among the nation's best. The policies, developed through hearings in 2002 and 2006, have not been adopted by HSEMA.
Even if the Council determines that some new network would be appropriate, it is important to assess carefully which cameras and how many of them should be part of such a network," the letter said. "Before any funds are appropriated, HSEMA should develop, with public input, a robust privacy policy to govern operation of such a network." The group said it is critical that the city "preserve the important privacy and civil liberties safeguards currently in place."
(Photo Credit: SocTech via Flickr)
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