ACLU Calls On Bay Area Cities To Get More Public Input On Use Of Drones, Surveillance Technology
SAN JOSE (KCBS) - The American Civil Liberties Union of California has released a report, calling for cities and counties across the state to gather more public input before purchasing drones and other surveillance gear.
This comes as the city of San Jose is set to hold hearings about their new drone, which the police department purchased earlier this year for its bomb squad.
ACLU Calls On Bay Area Cities To Get More Public Input When It Comes To Drones, Surveillance Technology
Richard Kanda with the Asian Law Alliance in San Jose said he welcomes the call for more input.
"It really sends the wrong image about the San Jose Police Department. We don't want it to be a militarized police department," Kanda said. "We want to have a community policing kind of department." The police department has already apologized about the secrecy surrounding the purchase of the drone.
Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian, a longtime privacy advocate, said he plans to pursue an ordinance that would require public evaluation before law enforcement agencies get and use new high tech equipment.
More than two dozen Bay Area cities and counties were cited in the ACLU report, for purchasing anything from drones to body-worn cameras and facial recognition databases.
San Jose Police will offer a presentation about the department's drone and seek comment from the public during the city's Neighborhood Commission meeting at City Hall, Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. in Wing Rooms 118 and 199.
ACLU INTERACTIVE MAP: ACLU Northern California
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