Summary
“The U.S. has seen an increase in violent crime in many of its largest cities. So too, has it risen inBaltimore, MD where homicides rose 63% between 2014 and 2015.1 Like their counterparts in other cities, Baltimore Police Department (BPD) leaders are intent on addressing violent crime and have struggled to find sufficient resources to do so. An innovative, experimental strategy they employed was “persistent surveillance.” This is the use of aerial photographic systems that cover large areas over extended periods of time. In Baltimore, this took the form of a small plane outfitted with a series of cameras that flew 98 times, at an altitude of about 8,000 feet, for a total of 314 hours between January and August 2016. The program – named the “Baltimore Community Support Program” (BCSP) – is not currently operational pending an organizational determination of its effectiveness. It was intended to compliment BPD’s existing, and widely known “CitiWatch” land-based public surveillance camera program.”—Page 3.
Contents
Executive Summary. - About the Police Foundation. - Introduction. - BPD's use of technology to reduce crime. - Why persistence surveillance in Baltimore. - How the Baltimore Community Support Program worked. - Summary of the BCSP. - Review of policies governing BPD’s Baltimore Community Support Program. - The BCSP and the expectation of privacy. - Protection and storage of data. - Recommendations. - Conclusion. - Endnotes. - Appendix. -- BPD policy 1014 – Video surveillance procedures. - General order P-3. - PSS/BCSP’s Privacy Protection Policy. - Memorandum of law in support of persistent surveillance. - BCSP flight orbit areas. - Form 371 – Video retrieval request. - Sample support briefing.