Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

First public meeting on San Diego's surveillance via streetlight

Move comes after months of inside turmoil, cop concerns

Police worry that the fruits of surveillance might be used against cops performing arrest. - Image by Matthew Suárez
Police worry that the fruits of surveillance might be used against cops performing arrest.

Following months of uncertainty regarding the low-profile rollout of San Diego's so-called smart streetlights, equipped with spy cams, shot-spotters, and related intelligence gathering gear, officials have called a community meeting in Southeastern San Diego to tell the public what they have wrought.

The session, to be held at 5:30 p.m. this Wednesday, March 13 at the Malcolm X Library Multipurpose Room, 5148 Market St, is intended to tamp down growing skepticism regarding costs, police policy, and expanded surveillance potential of the system, sources say, and comes amidst a late effort to ratify a draft policy governing use of the installation by police.

Sponsored
Sponsored

Work on the policy began last August, according to San Diego Police Lt. Jeff Jordon, but as of Monday, March 11 was still awaiting signoff by department officials, as well as by the San Diego Police Officers Association. Under its agreement with the city, the labor group holds so-called "meet and confer" review authority over the surveillance system and its potential uses, Jordon said.

Police union concerns are said to include whether the fruits of surveillance might be used against cops performing arrests and other duties. Jordon added that the POA board was scheduled to act on the policy by the end of Monday, March 11, and that a final document might be released to the public as early as Wednesday's community meeting. following signoffs by police brass.

Until the announcement of Wednesday's scheduled meeting, details of the police policy and other potential controversies have been kept under wraps. In addition to high-definition video cameras that provide extensive coverage of public streets and sidewalks, the Smart City Platform features so-called shot-spotter devices, controversial both for their privacy limiting implications as well as lack of reliability.

Jordon said Monday that the shot-spotters of Smart City, involving as many as 4000 so-called surveillance nodes, have not yet been activated, pending decisions regarding next year's budget.

Also in the works is a video management plan with security vendor Genetech, a Montreal-based firm noted for its license plate reading devices for use by the D.E.A. Jordon says San Diego's system employs neither license plate readers nor facial surveillance technology. and does not use "pan-tilt-zoom capabilities."

Since the streetlight nodes began initial operation last year, he added, between 30 and 40 videos have been provided for law-enforcement-related review to San Diego police by system vendor Current, Powered by GE.

The company was a subsidiary of General Electric until its sale was announced in November to American Industrial Partners, a Wall Street private equity firm.

Jordon said that Current-provided video from the system that he has reviewed, including some to be introduced at an April court hearing, has been electronically screened to block out inadvertent intrusions into private surroundings, a process referred to as curtilage.

However, another source familiar with San Diego's situation maintains that the system's curtilage technology hasn't always worked, potentially exposing non-public property to improper video surveillance.

Another concern involves what is said to be repeated failures of so-called public functions of the system, including links to "static data" that the city has posted online regarding parking, vehicle counts, pedestrian counts, temperature, humidity, and atmospheric pressure.

Following the announcement of its sale by General Electric, Current revealed last month that it was switching the computer server hosting San Diego's system from GE-owned Predix to Amazon Web Services, run by the online retail giant, raising fresh questions about future reliability and transition costs for officials to address Wednesday.

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Gonzo Report: Ben Folds takes requests via paper airplane at UCSD

A bunch of folks brought theirs from home
Next Article

Recalling a nighttime firefight in my Rolando condo complex

This was years ago, but I still freeze when I hear anything that sounds like gunfire
Police worry that the fruits of surveillance might be used against cops performing arrest. - Image by Matthew Suárez
Police worry that the fruits of surveillance might be used against cops performing arrest.

Following months of uncertainty regarding the low-profile rollout of San Diego's so-called smart streetlights, equipped with spy cams, shot-spotters, and related intelligence gathering gear, officials have called a community meeting in Southeastern San Diego to tell the public what they have wrought.

The session, to be held at 5:30 p.m. this Wednesday, March 13 at the Malcolm X Library Multipurpose Room, 5148 Market St, is intended to tamp down growing skepticism regarding costs, police policy, and expanded surveillance potential of the system, sources say, and comes amidst a late effort to ratify a draft policy governing use of the installation by police.

Sponsored
Sponsored

Work on the policy began last August, according to San Diego Police Lt. Jeff Jordon, but as of Monday, March 11 was still awaiting signoff by department officials, as well as by the San Diego Police Officers Association. Under its agreement with the city, the labor group holds so-called "meet and confer" review authority over the surveillance system and its potential uses, Jordon said.

Police union concerns are said to include whether the fruits of surveillance might be used against cops performing arrests and other duties. Jordon added that the POA board was scheduled to act on the policy by the end of Monday, March 11, and that a final document might be released to the public as early as Wednesday's community meeting. following signoffs by police brass.

Until the announcement of Wednesday's scheduled meeting, details of the police policy and other potential controversies have been kept under wraps. In addition to high-definition video cameras that provide extensive coverage of public streets and sidewalks, the Smart City Platform features so-called shot-spotter devices, controversial both for their privacy limiting implications as well as lack of reliability.

Jordon said Monday that the shot-spotters of Smart City, involving as many as 4000 so-called surveillance nodes, have not yet been activated, pending decisions regarding next year's budget.

Also in the works is a video management plan with security vendor Genetech, a Montreal-based firm noted for its license plate reading devices for use by the D.E.A. Jordon says San Diego's system employs neither license plate readers nor facial surveillance technology. and does not use "pan-tilt-zoom capabilities."

Since the streetlight nodes began initial operation last year, he added, between 30 and 40 videos have been provided for law-enforcement-related review to San Diego police by system vendor Current, Powered by GE.

The company was a subsidiary of General Electric until its sale was announced in November to American Industrial Partners, a Wall Street private equity firm.

Jordon said that Current-provided video from the system that he has reviewed, including some to be introduced at an April court hearing, has been electronically screened to block out inadvertent intrusions into private surroundings, a process referred to as curtilage.

However, another source familiar with San Diego's situation maintains that the system's curtilage technology hasn't always worked, potentially exposing non-public property to improper video surveillance.

Another concern involves what is said to be repeated failures of so-called public functions of the system, including links to "static data" that the city has posted online regarding parking, vehicle counts, pedestrian counts, temperature, humidity, and atmospheric pressure.

Following the announcement of its sale by General Electric, Current revealed last month that it was switching the computer server hosting San Diego's system from GE-owned Predix to Amazon Web Services, run by the online retail giant, raising fresh questions about future reliability and transition costs for officials to address Wednesday.

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Prime Wheel in Tijuana cracks down on employees after worker disappears

Maquila co-workers turn on man's wife
Next Article

Gonzo Report: Ben Folds takes requests via paper airplane at UCSD

A bunch of folks brought theirs from home
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader