San Francisco Police Department choose Mission District for newest surveillance cameras in an effort to deter crime

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - In March, voters approved Proposition E, which in part allows the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) to use drones and install surveillance cameras without the approval of the Police Commission or Board of Supervisors.

SFPD has now selected the Mission District for the launch of its first two surveillance cameras in the city since the approval of Proposition E. According to Mission Local, the cameras will both be on Mission Street, at 19th Street and 24th Street. SFPD chose this location based off the level of criminal activity, believing that those crime rates would decrease because of the surviellance. 

At a community meeting on Wednesday, May 29th, SFPD Chief Bill Scott said that in the past six months, the 19th and Mission area saw 49 crimes and the 24th and Mission area saw 61. Some of those crimes included homicide, assault, and rape as well as theft and arson. Scott said, "One of the things that we look at when we're trying to determine where to go next is what's going on in that area that we think we can impact. So, that's baked into our calculations."

With the passing of Proposition E, Scott can propose locations for surveillance cameras and he is required to hold a public meeting in the neighborhood where the cameras are slated to go to solicit community feedback. He is required to review that feedback prior to deciding on the installation and placement of any new cameras. 

At the meeting, the only non-law enforcement attendees were an Office of Civic Engagement and Immigrant Affairs employee, who was sent by her supervisor, and the reporter from Mission Local. The project's lead, Lieutenant Chris Wilhelm, said that SFPD has not received any comments from the community.

Scott explained that in addition to the high crime levels, the two locations had cameras installed 10 years ago by the Department of Emergency Management and even though those were recently upgraded, it is unclear if the cameras have ever been used. He said, "Logistically, we were able to actually get to this point a lot quicker with these particular cameras. But there are definitely locations across the city where we believe that this will be beneficial."

The two cameras can each record in four directions. Any additional capabilities have not been shared yet, but the city's ban on facial recognition technology, also known as Chapter 19B, will not apply to SFPD's use of the new public safety cameras. The new cameras will be labeled with large blue signs within 25 feet, saying, "For public safety, area is under camera surveillance."

Wilhelm said in a statement, "Our goal isn't to hide these cameras. These cameras are to prevent, to deter crime." SFPD is looking to add blue lights to the cameras to make them even more visible. Footage from the cameras will be retained for 30 days, unless an investigation requires them to be kept longer. 

SFPD will also be required to report annually to the Board of Supervisors about the locations of its cameras and the crime statistics at those locations as well as the frequency of requests for the recorded images or live monitoring, and the use of any camera footage in making arrests. 

SFPD will own the cameras, but under Proposition E, police sergeants and higher-ranking officers will still need to request camera footage from the Department of Emergency Management and may use the footage in the "investigation of specific crimes, active operations, and crimes in progress."