With the push of a button,
Video feeds from city intersections and bus stops played out simultaneously on a massive screen that covered one wall as individual stations were outfitted with numerous smaller monitors. There were feeds from local news stations and social media streaming as well as access to databases that included criminal records and facial recognition.
It's meant to be one-stop shopping for
The police chief and mayor say it’s working, They want state lawmakers to double down on the investment and expand its reach to neighboring communities. With more than
Keller said during a tour Friday that the technology and the ability of police and prosecutors to build better cases is helping make the community safer.
“We have a long, long way to go, but we're going the right direction,” Keller said.
Keller pointed to the massive screen, highlighting a map with dozens of yellow markers on it — each one denoting gunshots detected by
“It not only enables us to catch people, but it keeps our officers safe day in and day out,” Police Chief
Medina touted the capabilities in solving some of the city's most notable crimes over the last two years — from a hit-and-run that left a 7-year-old boy dead to the shooting deaths of four men that rocked
Weapons violations increased by 21% for the first nine months of 2023 compared to the previous year, according to data released by the
Still, some have criticized reliance on the technology. A 2021
There also are privacy concerns, said
“There’s a balance between the very real risks to the privacy of all of us in our community when this sort of mass surveillance is employed and the legitimate need to solve crimes and keep us safe,” he said.
For lawmakers, Williams said the time has come for them to think about crafting data retention and reporting policies.
In
“Our tradition in this country, our values are that we don’t engage in surveillance of people or intrude into the lives of people by law enforcement in case they might one day commit a crime,” he said.
Medina acknowledged those concerns, saying technology comes with a responsibility and that his department will use the tools where it can to ensure public safety.
© 2023 The Canadian Press. All rights reserved., source