Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens plans to introduce legislation endorsing public safety technology “governed by clear rules.”
On Sept. 22, Dickens will ask Atlanta City Council to fast track the City of Atlanta’s existing privacy, oversight, and accountability standards that oversee the use of license plate readers, like Flock, through public cameras. Dickens said Atlanta will have “effective public safety technology governed by clear rules and consequences when those rules are violated.”
Atlanta is one of the most surveilled cities in the world, recent reports show. According to an investigation by the AJC, the Atlanta Police Department’s surveillance program launched in 2007. As of May, more than 60,000 public and private cameras are accessible by the police.
The proposed legislation would build on Atlanta Police Department’s current safeguards and create a permanent, citywide framework for the responsible use of public safety cameras.
“Technology that gives government extraordinary capabilities must come with extraordinary accountability,” Dickens said. “Public safety is not a blank check, and neither is privacy an excuse to deny law enforcement tools that can help save lives and solve crimes.”
Dickens requested for APD to audit 115,578 Flock license plate reader searches conducted this year alone. The initial findings showed that 99% of year-to-date searches were within policy and training, according to a letter from APD COO LaChandra Burks.
APD has revised its license plate recognition policy to strengthen privacy protections, identifying prohibited uses, and restricting access by outside law enforcement agencies.
“Transparency, accountability and public trust remain central to this process,” Schierbaum said.
The legislation will establish clear policies identifying authorized and prohibited uses, eligible users, training requirements, and accountability procedures. Access, data governance, and vendor accountability, among other concerns, are addressed in the ordinance.
A public hearing will be held for residents, civil rights organizations, public safety professionals, and privacy experts to express concerns.
“Public safety and personal privacy are not competing values,” Chief Operating Officer LaChandra Burks said. “Atlanta can protect both. Our goal is to give public safety professionals the tools they need while ensuring those tools are used lawfully, transparently and only for authorized purposes.”
