Did you know the Boston Police Department has used drones, license plate readers, surveillance cameras, and social media surveillance software? Did you know that the Department bought many of these technologies without the knowledge or consent of the people of Boston, or our elected representatives on the Boston City Council?
It's time for community control over police surveillance!
The Public Safety Committee of the Boston City Council will hold a hearing to discuss the ACLU's push for a surveillance oversight ordinance. The ACLU model ordinance requires accountability, transparency, and meaningful community input about whether the city can purchase surveillance technology and how it is used. For more information and resources, go to https://aclum.org/ccops.
The Public Safety Committee needs to hear from you! Please come to the hearing to give public comment (three minutes max), and/or submit a written comment to the Committee by emailing both ccc.psj@boston.gov and Ron.Cobb@boston.gov. Written comments can be as long as you like. Please cite docket #0264 in your written comment.
If you have any questions about the comment process or the hearing itself, please contact Olivia Santoro at osantoro@aclum.org.