Turning the Tide on Police Surveillance

The stories seem non-stop. The NSA, FBI, and other federal agencies are spying on us in new ways and with new programs or authorities. But surveillance that is most overlooked, but is equally as pervasive, is how state and local police spy on their own residents. In Baltimore, the police department secretly deployed Stingrays to track the phone calls of residents in primarily black neighborhoods. In New Orleans, the police entered into a six-year contract with data mining firm Palantir to conduct predictive policing. When residents found out, their opposition was so fierce that within two weeks, the city canceled the agreement. And in cities and towns all over the country, police departments are tracking people’s movements with surreptitiously installed automatic license plate readers.

These examples are just a taste of the many ways police departments acquire and deploy surveillance technologies to constantly spy on average people as they go about their lives. And in most jurisdictions, including the District of Columbia, decisions to acquire and use these surveillance technologies are made by police departments without any knowledge or input from the public or elected officials, often through secret agreements with the federal government or private companies. This significantly threatens civil rights and civil liberties. Addressing these threats has gained additional urgency with the growing efforts of the Trump administration to identify and deport millions of undocumented immigrants, track Muslims, and even more aggressively police communities of color.

But cities and towns are starting to take control. In September of 2016, the ACLU and partners, including the Open Technology Institute, launched the Community Control Over Police Surveillance (C-COPS) effort. The purpose of C-COPS is to ensure that residents and lawmakers are empowered to decide if and how surveillance technology is acquired and used by local law enforcement agencies. To date, seven cities and counties in California, Washington, Tennessee, and Massachusetts have adopted C-COPS-style ordinances, and dozens of other jurisdictions are considering similar proposals. Join OTI and the ACLU of the District of Columbia for a discussion about why governing the use of surveillance technologies is critical to civil liberties and civil rights, and how grassroots efforts to pass these bills have been so effective.

Join the conversation online by using #TakeCTRL and following @OTI and @ACLU_DC.

Presentation on Police Surveillance Technology:

Chad Marlow
Senior Advocacy and Policy Counsel, ACLU
@ChadAaronMarlow

Panel on Reining in the Use of Police Surveillance Technology:

Panelists:

Sameena Usman
Government Relations Coordinator, CAIR-CA
@SameenaU

Eugene Puryear
Co-Founder, Stop Police Terror Project D.C.
Radio Host and Author
@EugenePuryear

Laura Moy
Executive Director, Georgetown Law Center on Privacy & Technology
Adjunct Professor of Law, Georgetown University
@lauramoy

Chad Marlow
Senior Advocacy and Policy Counsel, ACLU
@ChadAaronMarlow

Moderator:

Brad Heath
Deputy Investigations Editor, USA TODAY
@bradheath

When
Sep. 17, 2018
12:15 pm - 2:00 pm
Where
New America
740 15th St NW #900 Washington, D.C. 20005
RSVP

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[memeforscream]

This is commonly used for Gang Stalking and people should know.

[kristinmeyer]

Gang stalking is a crime against humanity.

[walterriley]

SIMPLE, ...IF THE GOVERNMENT IS USING YOUR TAX RESOURCES TO GATHER CRIMINAL OR INTIMIDATING INFORMATION AGAINST YOU, IT COMPLETELY TAKES THE ATTENTION AWAY FROM THEIR OWN CRIMINAL ACTIVITIES THAT THEY ARE PERPETRATING AGAINST YOU, THE PUBLIC .

[Hoycelolland]

It makes no sense to give more power to an entity that has already established lack of accountability, cover up, and many other concerns.

[poppybridgeport]

I have been under surveillance, cyber stalked and harassed for at least a year now after being bullied off a mobile gaming platform. I believe I have been targeted for my Palestinian heritage, my human rights activism, and my politics. My iPhone often shows the green indicator light that alerts when the camera is being accessed remotely, and this happens all the time when none of my apps are open. I have no sense of privacy and constantly feel deeply violated.

[kellylynch]

Violation of privacy.... THESE PARASITES MAKE ME SICK FROM THE PIT 😑

[aaronschronce]

These public servants do not abide by the laws they enforce. They see all citizens as the enemy

[patrioticsoul]

30 years of community policing, retirement check is 1083 a month. Many of my 60 fellow officers at the start were good to great officers you rode with to start your training. Quickly I
developed a grade system in my mind of what I referred to as men you did not believe were assets to enforcing a community. I remember that number was low. 8 officers made that grade. 4 were horrible personalities. I dreaded to work around them. 2 were supervisors. I did not trust them. In my mind they were
where in need of reprimand and training and that could have led to changes. However there was no way to make that happen. Each officer was sworn in, holding your hand up to uphold the law and the rights of citizens. I never made any rank in my 30 years and as the size grew more untrainable, undesirables came along. They were the still fewer in number, but they seemed to easily climb the ladder, thus the supers were infected as well. It was 30 years of doing what the God of Heaven wanted me to be. I grew to be content with that, praying for change in men who were sworn to uphold. I hid my true feelings with God. He kept
me on track to be what he wanted out of sworn officer.
committees such as above may have never faced up to a decision. Is God higher than me, my education, my family, my knowledge, my country, my world. Judge not, lest yee be judged.
not my words. God given
words. Words of true unadulterated, self centered,
greedy, human minds. May God be your true Glory. A life full of decisions is faced only with one real true decision.
No God or
Know God
no God
no love.
Real food for
real thoughts.

[anothercomment]

First mistake -- There are no Public Servants, because they work for the Corporation they contracted employment with -- as the Supreme Court has Ruled - despite the Constitution.

[dorydeviance]

Surveillance is the result of irrational panic and is severely in violation of the right to privacy.

[noisemaker]

They're assaulting people on so many levels it's beyond disturbing. Counter intelligence provocation is highly illegal

[iambecauseyouare.]

Where will all this end? Why are they hunting people down? It doesn't help when they target low income people who can barely get by. It seems like it's open season on humans.

[lilliancullen]

This is awful and sickening! They say it is to keep people out of jail but it makes you feel like you are in prison 24/7. Horrible people~

[christopheraaron]

It's like the 4th Amendment just isn't a thing anymore.

[jamesjohn]

Targeted individuals have been telling the people this fir years and nobody listened

[mikemarshall]

I am currently under 24/7 surveillance. Drones, many people, and vehicles. They’re everywhere I go, often before I get there, (obviously due to technological surveillance), and near my home at all times. I’m not crazy, paranoid, or delusional. Look up gang stalking and targeted individuals. This has been happening to me everyday for 6 weeks now. I’m no one! I’m a widowed single father who recently lost my job and home. I am researching and intend to expose if possible.

[billneilssien]

No public notice means they can sneak without warrants . Fear your local and all PD’s their not protecting or serving us . They protect their own and serve their own needs wants .

[originalman]

If we all continue to value our experiences we can finally get some resolutions. Mentally been suffering for years, now I can finally have clarity and regain some sanity. Thank you all so much.

[stacycemp]

There are a lot of cops that can't be trusted with this. They have destroyed my life.

[LostAnFound]

They use high frequency auditory harassment as well. Tinnitus doesn’t follow the physical rules of constructive and destructive interference. In other words, if the ringing in your ears varies from one location to the next, it’s not tinnitus.