PGHIMC - Pittsburgh Independent Media Center

City to Install Extensive Network of Surveillance Cameras
by Quinten Thursday, Sep. 16, 2004 at 8:24 AM
quinten@indypgh.org

The City of Pittsburgh has received a nearly $500,000 grant from the Justice Department to begin installation of a network of computer-controlled security cameras in neighborhoods across the city, part of federal anti-terrorism initiatives that have seen even larger camera networks installed in New York City, Washington DC and Chicago.

The City of Pittsburgh has received a nearly $500,000 grant from the Justice Department to begin installation of a network of computer-controlled security cameras in neighborhoods across the city, part of federal anti-terrorism initiatives that have seen even larger camera networks installed in New York City, Washington DC and Chicago.

The camera network, whose base of operations will be in Point Breeze, will link with existing camera networks operated by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and other agencies. It will be powerful enough to read license plates and identify faces, according to a story in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

At first, only three cameras will be purchased, to be placed on buildings Downtown, although more camera purchases are planned. In comparison, the network of cameras in Chicago contains several thousand. City officials did not say how many existing cameras would be linked into the network.

The Security company LiveWave, Inc. has been contracted to install the security network. According to the company's website, LiveWave is a "leading provider of intelligent digital video surveillance solutions for mission critical applications."

Some Pittsburgh City Council members were worried about privacy implications of the extensive camera network, but City Operations director Bob Kennedy shrugged those concerns off, saying that the network would be used mainly for massive emergencies, like the evacuation of Downtown on September 11th 2001, and would not be a "Big Brother" monitoring network.

Although Pittsburgh City officials have not discussed what kinds of software will operate the cameras, in Chicago a similar network is being set up to automatically flag activities "deemed suspicious" and notify police. Mayor Richard Daley at a press conference last Friday brushed aside privacy concerns, arguing that the camera's would only be installed in public places, according to the Chicago Tribune.

"We own the sidewalk," the mayor told reporters. "We own the street, and we own the alley. ... You could photograph me going down the street. You do it every day. You have that right."

In DC, installation of a similar network of cameras 2 years ago met extensive scrutiny by local elected officials, who demanded specific criteria for the camera network's use and argued that internal Police Department policy was insufficient. For example, guidelines suggested that police might record over any material after 72 hours, although they did not require that step.

Pittsburgh's City Council has yet to set any specific guidelines or legislation for the use of the camera network.

add your comments