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Rules published for spy camera network
WASHINGTON -
Mayor Adrian Fenty on Friday issued rules governing the connection of 5,200 surveillance cameras into a single anti-crime spy network, defying D.C. Council demands that the regulations get their stamp of approval first. The emergency regulations for the Video Interoperability for Public Safety program, published in Friday's D.C. Register, took effect June 12 without public comment. Like the Trinidad checkpoints and proposed warrantless home searches for firearms, the video surveillance network has come under fire from civil libertarians who question the constitutionality of program, which links thousands of cameras operated by various government agencies. The rules prohibit the use of closed-circuit cameras "for the purpose of infringing on First Amendment rights"; forbid operators from profiling based on race, gender or other classifications; limit the use of audio; and require videos to be destroyed after 10 days unless the recording contains evidence of criminal activity. "These emergency rules create a single standard for all of our cameras so that we can ensure the security of our data and our residents," Fenty said in a statement. But it is a matter for debate whether Fenty should have implemented the program. The 2009 Budget Support Act requires that the regulations win council approval before their adoption. Carrie Brooks, Fenty's spokeswoman, said the support act has yet to take effect and in any case, emergency rules expire after 120 days. "I'd like to know why they are afraid of the normal rulemaking process, avoiding the public participation in an effort to beat the clock," said Councilman Phil Mendelson, chair of the public safety committee. The council has grown increasingly skittish of the administration's anti-crime strategies. Police Chief Cathy Lanier and interim Attorney General Peter Nickles faced pointed questioning during a hearing Monday, and both stood their ground. "All of this kind of has a context of Big Brother," Council Chairman Vincent Gray old NewsChannel8 this week. Sharon Bradford Franklin, of the Constitution Project, said she was disturbed that Fenty circumvented the council's oversight. The regulations, she said, fail to address who will be watching what and for what purpose, the extent to which each agency will have access to the network, and what kind of training the monitors will have. "To the extent that this imposes some regulations where there had been none, that's a step in the right direction, but it's woefully incomplete and fails to address many issues raised by this newly created vast network of cameras," Franklin said. mneibauer@dcexaminer.com |
