Austin police chief proposes "Big Brother" camera system

By Thom White

AUSTIN January 23, 2008 - On Tuesday, recently-appointed Austin police chief Art Acevedo announced to the media a proposed police surveillance camera system that would attempt to record all public activity in the Sixth Street district in order to reduce the likelihood of crime. The cameras' recordings would be reviewed in secret by police personnel who would use the footage as evidence in prosecutions against individuals they identify committing crimes on video.

Chief Acevedo said if there is no public opposition to the installation of the public spy cameras, the equipment will be installed and begin recording around 6th Street in a few months.

According to news reports, Chief Acevedo told reporters, "As I travel around the city, I have been approached by residents in high-crime areas who are not only asking, but who are really starting to demand the use of technology." Acevedo said. "People in this community want us to do everything we can to keep them safe. This is one of those strategies."

According to KEYE-TV, Chief Acevedo said, "This is to put people on notice: criminals, the community, and the cops -- that, yes... You're in an area to be surveilled that's out in the open. So, guess what? Before you start fighting with somebody, before you start stabbing somebody, before you start trying to victimize somebody, your action may be caught on tape, and you may be prosecuted and convicted, because we'll have the best evidence."

Sixth Street -- a police surveillance zone?
Austin responds to Chief Acevedo's plan.

COMMENTARY: Video surveillance for the people

Sixth Street is only one of four "high-crime" areas in which Chief Acevedo plans to install "Big Brother"-style surveillance cameras. Other targets include the intersection of North Lamar and Rundberg; 12th Street and Chicon in East Austin; and along Montopolis Blvd. on the Southeast side of town. The particular neighborhoods have ostensibly been chosen because they have "high crime rates."

Chief Acevedo believes he can get "federal funds" to pay surveillance equipment manufacturers and installers, and for maintenance of the system. It is likely these monies would be allocated from the Department of Homeland Security as an "anti-terrorism" measure. The Statesman raised questions over some important details yet to be arranged in the Chief's camera proposal. Tony Plohetski reported (1/24/08):

[Chief Acevedo] said he plans to explore ways to pay for the project - possibly through federal grants -- and work out logistics such as who would monitor the camera footage. Acevedo said one option could be to hire retired officers to watch the videos 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and call officers on the street if they see a crime in progress.

Other details, such as where the cameras would be positioned and how long the footage would be preserved, need to be worked out, he said. …

The installation of police surveillance cameras in Austin's well-known 6th Street music district is apparently being spearheaded by a group of business owners who form the Downtown Austin Alliance (DAA). In August last year, DAA leaders visited Dallas to a see a 40-camera police surveillance system instituted there a few months before. The Austin American-Statesman reported (1/24/08):

Austin police and representatives from downtown business associations last year began discussing the possibility of adding cameras along Sixth Street and traveled to Dallas to study its system, which officials added in January 2007. Bill Brice, program director for security and maintenance for the Downtown Austin Alliance, said the visit intensified his group's support for the cameras. The alliance is also considering whether to help pay for the Sixth Street camera system, he said.

Dallas police received a local grant to pay for their $850,000 system of 40 cameras, which are on utility poles or stoplights across downtown, including areas around the Dallas Convention Center and in the West End historical district. Police officials said each camera cost about $800.

In an interview with KEYE-TV, Bill Brice added that, "We really see this as an opportunity that might help APD keep Downtown [Austin] one of the safest cities in the country."

According to local news stories, ACLU spokeswoman Debbie Russell is the only person publicly questioning the move toward the police surveillance plan. Ms. Russell told the Daily Texan (1/24/08), "Public cameras will inevitably capture embarrassing, but not necessarily illegal, activity on Sixth Street. Once that video exists, it can live forever online. It could hurt Austin's downtown entertainment economy. Public surveillance cameras may sound like a good idea, but research has shown they don't stop people from committing crimes."

She told KLBJ (1/24/08): "Studies have shown that, in fact, surveillance cameras have not decreased crime … In London, they are the most surveilled city in the world. Many studies have shown [the cameras] are, in fact, not effective."

However, Ms. Russell is not completely opposed to putting police cameras in on Sixth Street. According to the Statesman, "she would urge the department to use the cameras on Sixth Street for six months as a pilot program before committing to a citywide project."

APD public information manager Ana Sabana told CITIZINE that the plan to install spy cameras is not yet written in stone yet, and that, more than anything, the chief is merely "floating" the idea to see what people think about the pros and cons of a Big Brother police surveillance system.

An APD spokesman, Detective James Mason, told the Daily Texan (1/24/08), "It's not anything concrete … TxDOT already has cameras up. We may look at getting in on their cameras, where they could be recorded or monitored by an officer or retired officer. There are just a lot of ideas out there on how it would be funded." He then said the "police will give the public the final say on the cameras."

"If they want them, then we will put them in place," Mason said. "But [Police Chief Acevedo] has been meeting with several communities in the downtown, Rundberg and Montopolis areas, and they're all for it."

Sixth Street -- a police surveillance zone?
Austin responds to Chief Acevedo's plan.

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MODEST PROPOSAL
Video surveillance for the people

By Roggie McFadden

Certain residents have suggested a more democratic use of this new video surveillance technology. One caller to the KLBJ-AM morning show suggested that video feeds from cameras mounted on APD cruisers be streamed live over the internet so that citizens could be certain that all police actions are lawful. Radio personality Sgt. Sam Cox opposed the plan to make video footage from police cruisers available to the public because the APD runs a lot of "covert" operations, and this could tip off the bad guys.

Others have commented that all conversations in the office of Chief Acevedo (and other responsible police officials) should be recorded and posted on the internet so that citizens could review the public servants' statements and make sure everything is on the "up and up." This video surveillance in public offices would give the public a clearer picture into the decision-making process and could help restore the public trust. Besides, if you're not doing anything wrong, what've you got to hide?

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