Enhancing Safety and Security Through Surveillance Technology

The proliferation of surveillance technologies' potential benefits in crime deterrence and investigation, their deployment remains shrouded in secrecy, with limited independent oversight and evaluation.

FREMONT, CA: Surveillance technology has become an integral part of modern society, contributing significantly to safety and security. From public spaces to private properties, surveillance technology has evolved significantly, offering various applications and benefits. Its importance cannot be overstated, as it helps deter crime, protect assets, and promote overall well-being.

In today's urban landscape, police departments routinely employ an arsenal of real-time surveillance tools ranging from CCTV and aerial surveillance to cellphone tracking, automatic license plate readers (ALPRs), facial recognition technology (FRT), and gunshot detection systems. These technologies have become ubiquitous in the modern policing toolkit, but their effectiveness, reliability, and compliance with constitutional and statutory regulations remain subjects of debate and scrutiny.

Police departments deploy surveillance technologies for various purposes, from deterring and intercepting criminal activities to monitoring public gatherings and gathering data for future investigations. However, the landscape of police surveillance capabilities remains largely uncharted territory. More comprehensive inventories are needed detailing the surveillance technologies used by local and federal law enforcement agencies. Even more glaring is the scarcity of peer-reviewed, independent evaluations assessing these technologies' impact and effectiveness concerning crime reduction, accuracy, error rates, equity, or their contribution to solving criminal cases.

According to a research published in the Annual Review journal, introducing surveillance technologies is often unsystematic, which complicates their deployment and impact. Furthermore, access to pertinent data is severely limited for external parties, rendering independent oversight, scientific evaluation, and community input practically impossible. Legal scholars and judges must often rely on information provided by the technology's developers, which may not always offer an unbiased or comprehensive picture of the technology's utility, limitations, or unintended consequences.

The opaqueness surrounding surveillance technologies is partially intentional, driven by law enforcement's desire to safeguard cutting-edge investigative techniques. Private companies often develop these technologies, leading to potential trade secret protections and nondisclosure agreements that shield them from public scrutiny. Even with no formal barriers, law enforcement agencies may not fully comprehend the extent of their technology's usage within their ranks. Furthermore, the adoption of surveillance technologies can be inconsistent, leading to disparities in their application and potential collateral consequences that law enforcement may prefer to keep hidden.

Recently, new technologies have emerged that allow law enforcement to "see through" opaque surfaces. Thermal imagers, for example, can detect heat signals through walls, trees, or smoke in real-time, enhancing the night-vision capabilities of police. These images are frequently used with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and CCTV systems. Other see-through devices rely on electromagnetic signatures, passive millimeter wave technology, or high-frequency radar to detect concealed weapons underneath clothing. While these technologies have gained widespread use in law enforcement, the key challenge lies in interpreting the data they provide. For instance, a thermal imager detecting a significant heat source inside a building could suggest either a marijuana farm or a movie studio set, highlighting the importance of contextual information in making accurate determinations.