Local news
Boston authorities released the first annual monitoring report This month, we're taking a have a look at the dizzying array of technologies the town usually uses, primarily in its law enforcement operations.
In 2021, the Boston City Council passed an ordinance designed to extend transparency regarding the usage of this technology. It requires various departments, including the Boston Police Department, to issue an annual report on the usage of surveillance technology.
Mayor Michelle Wu, who helped draft the ordinance during her time on the City Council, said this week she was “proud” that conversations about surveillance were becoming more public.
“It took a long time for it to be passed,” she said in an interview concerning the regulation on WBUR Monday. “We've had the support of community organizations and citizens for many, many years who were completely in the dark about what was available, what was being used and what protection or privacy parameters might apply to these technologies.”
The report touches on a big selection of devices, including body-worn cameras, license plate readers, gunshot detection systems and cell phone location tracking devices.
Speaking specifically about body-worn cameras, Wu said that before their widespread adoption, there had been concerns that victims of crime could be less inclined to contact police in the event that they knew they were being filmed. It has grow to be clear, she added, that body-worn cameras profit each civilians and law enforcement officials.
“This is now an indisputable public document when it comes to the question of wrongdoing, what exactly happened in a situation, or sometimes even advancing an investigation into a particular incident,” Wu said on WBUR.
According to the report, in 2023, the BPD received 6,518 requests from prosecutors for bodycam footage. There were no citizen complaints concerning the technology, but officers found 11 possible violations of bodycam policy while investigating citizen complaints unrelated to the technology. Those incidents were related to officers activating their cameras. Wu spoke concerning the importance of creating sure the cameras are getting used properly. In fiscal yr 2023, nearly 1,000 BPD officers were randomly chosen for a bodycam review. The review found 90% were in compliance with department regulations, while 10% were found to have “deficiencies” resembling not recording in any respect, stopping a recording prematurely or not properly uploading footage after an incident.
In a memo BPD officials noted within the statement released with the report that residents could also be concerned concerning the use of surveillance technology.
“We recognize the concerns and anxieties that exist regarding technology and the idea of 'surveillance.' To be clear, the Department does not use technology for general 'surveillance' purposes. Rather, technology is merely a tool used solely to accomplish our public safety mission, for legitimate law enforcement purposes, and under judicial oversight,” the officials wrote.
In that memo, the BPD listed various statistics about changes between 2022 and 2023: violent crime decreased by 5%, the variety of shooting victims decreased by 20%, citywide arrests increased by 8%, and the variety of firearms seized decreased by 11%.
In the memo, officials listed 44 specific incidents as a “representative sample” of cases through which police surveillance technology played a critical role.
The BPD maintains a network of about 1,300 cameras throughout the town. Another 400 are operated by the town and the Department of Transportation. These cameras are mounted in places like telephone poles and street signs, livestreaming video and recording what's happening nearby. They don't have facial recognition technology and don't record sound. These cameras are a “tremendous tool,” officials wrote, and a few residents and businesses are calling for more cameras of their neighborhoods.
Another notable technology utilized by police is cellphone simulators. These are used either after obtaining a warrant or “under exigent circumstances,” in response to the report. They mimic traditional cellphone towers to discover mobile devices using unique numbers assigned to them. They only give investigators the final direction of a cellphone and can’t collect data from the phones, resembling contact lists or text messages.
In May, outstanding politicians signed a letter questioning the accuracy of ShotSpotter's technology and saying the gunshot detection system may violate civil rights. ShotSpotter is utilized in many Massachusetts cities, including Boston. The politicians were concerned that the system could have a high error rate and result in “overuse” in communities with large populations of individuals of color. SoundThinking, the corporate behind the system, later said officials had used “cherished data” and “recycled falsehoods” when calling for ShotSpotter to be the topic of a federal investigation.
“This state-of-the-art program and improved response time allows the department to better identify hot spots, secure evidence and locate both victims and individuals in possession of weapons,” BPD officials wrote within the report, adding detailed information on how it really works and specific incidents where it helped police reply to shootings quickly and effectively.
Kade Crockford, director of the ACLU’s Massachusetts Technology for Liberty project, recently said: The report is a “good start,” but far more information must be made available to the general public, Crockford said. For example, school officials have to clarify where surveillance cameras are situated at school buildings and whether or not they violate the civil rights of marginalized groups, Crockford said.
“Schools are sensitive places,” Crockford said. “Students and their parents have to be concerned about the privacy of many people.”
image credit : www.boston.com