Check CU has published a number of articles recently about the Urbana Police Department proposal to install a network of cameras to track vehicle movement throughout the City. These automatic license plate readers (ALPRs) photograph vehicles, and save the data (such as license plate number, vehicle type, color, etc…) into a searchable database for the police department.
Such a system would give Urbana Police officers the ability to monitor and track the movements of any vehicle they choose. Though Mayor Marlin wanted the ALPR system installed immediately, concerns about regulation and abuse of such a powerful surveillance tool caused the Urbana City Council to delay approval until more efficacy data and police policies were brought forth.
As part of the ALPR presentation on September 20th, Flock Safety salesman Dan Murdock made some vague reference to their ALPR system being approved by the national ACLU. When questioned on specifics by Council member Chaundra Bishop, Murdock had trouble articulating how the ACLU was actually involved, and he didn’t even know what the 4th Amendment was about. Murdock did indicate that Flock had never communicated with the Illinois ACLU.
Check CU inquired with the president of the Champaign County ACLU, Carol Leff, to see if the City of Urbana or Flock Safety had attempted to consult with them on their plan to install an ALPR system in Urbana. On October 4th, after the ALPR system had already been twice pressed upon the Urbana City Council, Leff indicated that the local ACLU had not been involved in any way.
The Champaign County ACLU is a very minimalist organization, and they rarely offer more than a rare statement on local issues, but it is still surprising that Mayor Marlin did not attempt to get their stamp of approval, especially given their very high level of concern regarding any usage of surveillance cameras.
Past Champaign County ACLU President, former Urbana City Council member, and current ACLU Steering Committee member Esther Patt has issued very strong criticism against security cameras, even those owned and used on private property. Earlier this year, Esther Patt took on the task of snooping through residential properties and taking note of homeowners’ security cameras. Patt then mass-mailed defamatory letters to the neighbors and tenants in the area in an attempt to harass and embarrass individuals who own security cameras.
Harassing and bullying neighbors who own security cameras may have seemed like a good idea to this ACLU Steering Committee member on a mission, but that effort was exactly the opposite of what the Urbana Police Department wants. Patt’s crusade has, ironically, made residents wary of sharing security camera video with police, and that fear of cooperating with authorities is one of the primary factors cited by proponents of ALPRs. In this case, the ACLU criticizing security cameras has likely won them even more security cameras.