ACLU-MD Statement re Persistent Surveillance Systems in Baltimore
The following can be attributed to David Rocah, Senior Staff Attorney for the ACLU of Maryland:
"The fact that Persistent Surveillance Systems (PSS) is trying to use the Baltimore Police Department's own criminality as a justification for putting every resident of Baltimore under permanent surveillance is a stunningly cynical attempt to profit off of the City's trauma. The permanent aerial surveillance that Mayor Pugh and PSS want to bring back to Baltimore is the technological equivalent of putting an ankle GPS monitor on every person in Baltimore. The City would not tolerate, or even think of that if it was being done physically, and it shouldn't be done by other means.
"PSS wants to amass data that they can sell on the private market, as their own documents have shown. They are hoping that they can trick Baltimore residents into being the guinea pig that they can use to sell their product to other jurisdictions. And they have shown through their past actions that what they say about their technology cannot be trusted.
"Permanent aerial surveillance of all of Baltimore, and keeping a record of everywhere everyone goes outside their house, is not the right way to make Baltimore a safer place. And it's definitely not the right way to reform the BPD or get police accountability. It is the last thing Baltimore needs. It's disturbing that the Mayor would even consider bringing it back."
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