Today, Mayor Bowser and the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) announced MPD's new real-time surveillance center. In response, ACLU-D.C. Executive Director Monica Hopkins said:
"A center where police watch what people do in the District every hour of every day is an alarming expansion of government surveillance. With no oversight, the real-time surveillance center leaves serious questions about our safety and our rights unanswered. What behavior will police be watching for? What will they do if they think they see it? How will police use what they see, and who will they share it with? And will anyone be there to ensure that police don’t violate people’s rights?
Unchecked government surveillance does not improve public safety, and it threatens the rights of all community members. Real public safety requires transparency, safeguards, and accountability."