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U.S. NEWS Saturday 21 december 2019

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Police surveillance planes

to fly above Baltimore in 2020

By REGINA GARCIA CANO "evidence packages" of through the Community
Associated Press specific crimes that have Support Program — "helps
BALTIMORE (AP) — The city already being reported. solve otherwise unsolvable
of Baltimore will be moni- Footage from the pilot pro- crimes," particularly homi-
tored by surveillance air- gram will not be use in cas- cides. He said it has a well-
planes for up to six months es of police misconduct. developed privacy pro-
next year under a pilot pro- Baltimore is experiencing gram with external over-
gram announced Friday one of its most violent years sight.
that is aimed at helping on record, with more than "During the short test in
law enforcement investi- 330 homicides so far. That's 2016, in the equivalent of
gate violent crime and that up from 309 total in 2018. two weeks of flying, we City solicitor Andre Davis, left, listens as Baltimore Police Com-
will effectively restart a tac- The city has also seen more watched five murders and missioner Michael Harrison, right, announces support for a pilot
program that uses surveillance planes over the city to combat
tic secretively used three than 1,310 armed and un- 18 shootings and provided crime on Friday, Dec. 20, 2019, in Baltimore.
years ago. armed commercial rob- that information to investi- Associated Press
The flights, which civil liber- beries and carjackings. It gators. We look forward to
ties groups oppose, will start wrapped up last year with supporting the people of hope for cold weather. sion to reverse course is a
in May and gather footage 1,361 of those cases. Baltimore in their efforts to You say you'll put a surveil- "fateful step" that will affect
during the hours when the Harrison acknowledged reduce major crime and lance plane up in the sky the privacy rights of people
city experiences high rates the controversial history of we look forward to doing that does not work," City of color in Baltimore. The or-
of crime. The announce- the planes and promised a so in a very open and trans- Council President Bran- ganizations added that a
ment marks a reversal for series of yet-to-be-sched- parent way" that protects don Scott, who wants to decision that carries long-
Baltimore Police Commis- uled public meetings to people's rights, McNutt said unseat Young, said in a term impacts should be
sioner Michael Harrison, inform the community "on by phone. statement. "We need solu- made by an elected body,
who previously expressed how the program will and City Solicitor Andre Davis tions that work, and Com- not by the police commis-
skepticism over the use of will not be used going for- on Friday said Baltimore's missioner Harrison has told sioner.
the planes and described ward." law department is "en- the City Council multiple "The surveillance plane
the idea as an "untested" In 2016, under a different tirely comfortable" with times this year, as recently means putting every resi-
crime-fighting strategy. police commissioner, the the planned test, whose as October, that there is no dent of Baltimore under
"We will be the first Ameri- department hoped to qui- cost Harrison said will be evidence the surveillance permanent surveillance,
can city to use this technol- etly gather crime scene in- covered by philanthropic plane is an effective crime- creating a video record of
ogy in an attempt to solve formation using the aerial funds, not tax dollars. He fighting tool." everywhere that everyone
and deter violent crime," surveillance tactic. Top city said he has been in con- The American Civil Liberties goes every time they walk
Harrison said at a news officials were unaware that tact with the foundation of Union of Maryland and the outside," they said. "If the
conference. He said he Ohio-based Persistent Sur- Texas billionaires Laura and Coalition for Justice, Safety police did that in real life,
believes they could prove veillance Systems was try- John Arnold, who funded and Jobs in a joint state- in person on our streets, we
to be "yet another tool" to ing out its technology over the 2016 tryout through a ment said Harrison's deci- would never accept it."q
fight the violence plaguing Baltimore until Bloomberg donation to the Baltimore
the city. Businessweek revealed it. Community Foundation, a
The three planes will fly si- Over months, the compa- nonprofit civic organiza-
multaneously, covering ny captured roughly 300 tion.
about 90 percent of the hours of images. Analysts The Arnold Foundation did
city, said Baltimore police then zoomed in on crime not immediately respond
spokesman Matt Jablow. scenes, moving backward to requests for comment.
The resolution of the foot- and forward in time among Harrison said Mayor Ber-
age won't be sharp enough the images to sees suspects nard "Jack" Young, who is
for officers to identify faces, arriving and getting away. hoping to convince voters
but should help them track The footage was captured to chose him from a grow-
movement and action. using a bank of cameras ing field of mayor candi-
The testing will align with mounted inside a small dates, did not pressure him
the city's historically most vi- Cessna airplane flown at into agreeing to test the
olent months and will be fo- roughly 8,000 feet (2,400 technology. But his deci-
cused on homicides, shoot- meters) above the city. sion instantaneously drew
ings and robberies, includ- Ross McNutt, president condemnation from within
ing carjackings. Harrison and owner of the compa- and outside city hall.
said police will not have ny as listed on its website, "When you don't have a
access to live feeds, and told The Associated Press (crime-fighting) plan, you
instead, officers will receive the technology provided reach for boxing rings. You