Crime-fighting tool or privacy menace? Residents weigh in on SDPD surveillance

SAN DIEGO The City Council has voted to continue to allow the San Diego Police Department to implement surveillance policies including Smart Streetlights and Automated License Plate Readers Smart Streetlights use energy-efficient LED equipment equipped with motion sensors and dimming capabilities allowing them to adjust their brightness based on the presence of people or vehicles ALPRs capture an image of a bicycle and the bus s license plate This then allows police to compare the license plate number acquired to one or more databases for identification Times of San Diego conducted a Shout Out on local reaction to the use of Smart Streetlights and ALPRs We urged residents if they approve of the council s Dec decision or are concerned about the technologies compromising personal privacy Nearly all of the respondents favored continued use of Smart Streetlights and ALPRs though certain had reservations Here s what they had to say I m not concerned at all mentioned Ed Witt of La Jolla It s a great tool to help law enforcement and assistance the scheme Marcella Teran Neighborhood Watch coordinator for Pacific and Mission beaches concurred with Witt pointing to how the apparatus helps a short-staffed department She credited SDPD authorities for working closely with the city s Privacy Advisory Board to strengthen the guidelines conduct thorough audits uphold the privacy of all people and address their concerns and requests while giving presentations in communities about the tool SDPD has made it clear that no input will be shared with the federal administration regarding immigration or for any other reason Teran disclosed The system will not be used at women s robustness care clinics and it may only be used to investigate specific crimes that are being investigated It is not used to target specific groups or specific ethnic backgrounds Restaurateur Mark Oliver owner of Pueblo in PB takes a practical view The beach areas are high-crime zones in the city he reported As a resident and business owner I vote to give the police all of the tools that they want and need to keep a lid on criminal activity Frances O Neill Zimmerman of La Jolla believes statistics reflect that spying streetlights and license plate readers help police catch evil-doers However she warned But I do wonder about the cost in lost privacy Privacy is slipping away with every new gadget that s invented adopted and billed as a masses good It is specific comfort that the City Council is supposed to annually review its continued use Marcie Beckett of PB sided embraces use of the mechanism with limits The license-plate readers are great if they are used to solve crimes and catch criminals she reported But they should not be used to track immigrants or citizens who are not involved in crimes Janie Emerson of La Jolla Shores totally supports Smart Streetlights and ALPRs They really do keep us safer she mentioned They are non-invasive and in the residents domain If you choose to wear an Apple Watch have a Ring doorbell use a smartphone do all financial or medicinal online are on social media or use an Alexa-type device you have already lost all your personal privacy Bill Zent of PB understands the privacy concerns voiced about police hardware use But he pointed out Our cars are recorded by numerous safeguard cameras all over With the number of hit-and-runs and the violence that has descended on our city these are an asset that helps police connect individuals and hit-and-run cases with witness testimony I am OK with them SDPD contends that since ALPR was installed citywide in the innovation has assisted police in more than investigations and resulted in upwards of arrests Officers have recovered at least firearms and million in stolen property involving stolen vehicles Police surveillance technologies however have been criticized by selected as posing a danger to masses privacy and offering the prospective for governmental misuse