Surveillance

States push back against use of facial recognition by police

“It's fear-mongering politics at its worst,” said Jonathan Thompson, CEO of the National Sheriffs’ Association

Appeals court to rehear Baltimore aerial surveillance case

Police last spring began to test whether images could help them investigate murders, nonfatal shootings, armed robberies and carjackings

The Alternative: A unique approach to less-lethal force

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Alternative Ballistics, Inc.

For officers facing combative subjects, it provides a new option that fills a key gap

Baltimore Police releases report on aerial surveillance test

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Planes circling above the city increased the agency's arrest rate by 5% over 3 months, researchers found

Mayor orders San Diego's Smart Streetlights turned off until surveillance ordinance in place

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Local police hailed the cameras as a game-changer, saying the images helped to identify suspects of violent crimes

Ferguson after-action report: Have lessons learned been applied?

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The first step to applying and implementing the lessons learned of any after-action report is to read the report, which unfortunately rarely happens

IBM says it won't offer facial recognition, questions LE use

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A letter to U.S. lawmakers said the tech giant “has sunset its general purpose facial recognition and analysis software products”

Maine officials clash over investigation of police surveillance

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Following a lawsuit by a state trooper, some state officials want an investigation, while others dispute the suit

Lawsuit: Maine trooper was retaliated against for reporting police surveillance of citizens

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A federal lawsuit alleges the trooper was retaliated against for calling out illegal practices by an intelligence-gathering center run by the state police

Group sues Baltimore police over planned aerial surveillance pilot program

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The program will collect images of the city to aid investigations, which activists argue infringes on citizen's First and Fourth Amendment rights

5 ways police drones could assist COVID-19 response

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International first responders have used drones for observation, sharing messages with the public and even decontamination

NJ, Fla. police use 'talking' drones to enforce COVID-19 social distancing

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Police in Daytona Beach and Elizabeth have been using drones with automated messages designed to disperse crowds while maintaining social distancing

Baltimore board OKs surveillance planes amid opposition

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The program will collect images of the city to aid investigations and will pay for research to study if the program impacts the city's crime rate

Maine lawmakers seek to change law allowing police to conceal use of surveillance

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Maine is one of two states with a legal provision that allows police departments to conceal any use with surveillance technology

Jewish neighborhoods in NYC to get 100 new security cameras

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Mayor Bill de Blasio says the cameras are part of ongoing measures to increase NYPD's visibility into those neighborhoods in light of recent anti-Semitic attacks