Sacramento City Council accepts surveillance camera grant, but insists of 'guidelines'
California Desk
October 04, 2009
Sacramento City Council accepts surveillance camera grant Tuesday, but won't implement project until ´guidelines' are produced by police, says ACLU.
SACRAMENTO – The Sacramento City Council – following a presentation by the ACLU of Sacramento warning about the dangers to privacy of surveillance cameras – voted Tuesday evening to require the Sacramento Police Department submit "guidelines" about how 32 new surveillance cameras and four mobile units would be used before they are implemented.
The cameras are funded via a $614,994 grant from Homeland Security to Sacramento, which the City Council accepted Tuesday with the condition that concerns by the ACLU about privacy be addressed.
"We still believe that the cameras will do little to combat crime, as studies show, and that they are a threat to privacy," said Jim Updegraff, chair of the ACLU board of directors in Sacramento. "However, we are pleased that the council, in particular Steve Cohn and Rob Fong, understood that the police - no matter how well meaning - cannot be allowed to utilize these high tech tools without at least guidelines to protect everyone's basic rights."
The ACLU has been asked by the City to work with the SPD to produce the guidelines, he said.
Although the item was budgeted for 15 minutes, the council took more than a hour to listen to speakers opposed to the project and discuss the repercussions to privacy.
Councilmember Fong said that he supported the use of cameras to fight crime, but "not at all costs," and Cohn said he wanted "safeguards" to protect the public.
"If you or your family are concerned about the intrusive invasion of your privacy, and possibility of being part of a government database, then you should against this," said Updegraff to Council.
SACRAMENTO – The Sacramento City Council – following a presentation by the ACLU of Sacramento warning about the dangers to privacy of surveillance cameras – voted Tuesday evening to require the Sacramento Police Department submit "guidelines" about how 32 new surveillance cameras and four mobile units would be used before they are implemented.
The cameras are funded via a $614,994 grant from Homeland Security to Sacramento, which the City Council accepted Tuesday with the condition that concerns by the ACLU about privacy be addressed.
"We still believe that the cameras will do little to combat crime, as studies show, and that they are a threat to privacy," said Jim Updegraff, chair of the ACLU board of directors in Sacramento. "However, we are pleased that the council, in particular Steve Cohn and Rob Fong, understood that the police - no matter how well meaning - cannot be allowed to utilize these high tech tools without at least guidelines to protect everyone's basic rights."
The ACLU has been asked by the City to work with the SPD to produce the guidelines, he said.
Although the item was budgeted for 15 minutes, the council took more than a hour to listen to speakers opposed to the project and discuss the repercussions to privacy.
Councilmember Fong said that he supported the use of cameras to fight crime, but "not at all costs," and Cohn said he wanted "safeguards" to protect the public.
"If you or your family are concerned about the intrusive invasion of your privacy, and possibility of being part of a government database, then you should against this," said Updegraff to Council.
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