Security News > 2022 > July > San Francisco Police Want Real-Time Access to Private Surveillance Cameras
The new proposal-championed by Mayor London Breed after November's wild weekend of orchestrated burglaries and theft in the San Francisco Bay Area-would authorize the police department to use non-city-owned security cameras and camera networks to live monitor "Significant events with public safety concerns" and ongoing felony or misdemeanor violations.
Currently, the police can only request historical footage from private cameras related to specific times and locations, rather than blanket monitoring.
Mayor Breed also complained the police can only use real-time feeds in emergencies involving "Imminent danger of death or serious physical injury."
If approved, the draft ordinance would also allow SFPD to collect historical video footage to help conduct criminal investigations and those related to officer misconduct.
The proposed Surveillance Technology Policy would authorize the Police Department to use surveillance cameras and surveillance camera networks owned, leased, managed, or operated by non-City entities to: temporarily live monitor activity during exigent circumstances, significant events with public safety concerns, and investigations relating to active misdemeanor and felony violations; gather and review historical video footage for the purposes of conducting a criminal investigation; and gather and review historical video footage for the purposes of an internal investigation regarding officer misconduct.