‘Minimize the creepiness’: Batavia working out how to manage expanded surveillance
Batavia City Council members are torn on how to protect the public’s privacy while “minimizing the creepiness” of the newly expanded fleet of 112 surveillance cameras, expected to begin watching over the city next month.
Last year, council members approved a deal with Aurora telecom company Scientel Solutions to add 55 new cameras to public areas downtown and key city-owned facilities.
The cameras are slated to be online and recording by the first week of July. However, the rules about who can watch from the other side, when and why are still being decided.
City and police department officials worked to draft a policy identifying who would have access to which cameras and how that access would be tracked and managed.
Council members reviewed the new surveillance policy during a committee meeting on May 27.
The overall goal of the policy was to enforce strict permissions and clear procedures to hold users accountable and prevent the system from being abused. However, council members disagree on what that procedure should look like.
As proposed, the surveillance system and those who use it will be subject to an annual audit. If there are questions during the audit about the actions of someone who accessed the system, the user may need to explain their reasoning.
The primary concern in the discussion was whether the audit trail provided sufficient oversight or if a more detailed log was necessary.
Alderman Abby Beck supported requiring users to log their reasoning every time they access the footage.
“We’re all still reacting — some of us are just not used to that idea of always being watched outside — and we are just feeling like, ‘How do we minimize the creepiness of this?’” Beck said. “Minimizing the creepiness, for me, would be just a little bit more of a paper trail or some accountability.”
Alderman Christopher Sulfa argued that the audit system would do the same job without adding unnecessary restrictions and extra work for staff.
Police Chief Eric Blowers said that for those who continually monitor live feeds throughout their workday, “logging that would be extremely arduous and challenging.”
Any outside request for access to recordings, including staff inquiries and Freedom of Information Act requests, will be reviewed and approved through the police department.
Signs in areas monitored by the cameras will notify the public where they are under surveillance. Recordings will be deleted after 30 days unless archived for a specific reason.
Council members plan to continue their discussion about the policy later this month.
City Administrator Laura Newman said the city’s goal was to have the system operational before July, and she does not expect the policy discussion to delay that timeline.