Chicopee City Council special meeting raises privacy concerns
Presented without disclaimer, warning, or insinuations about your mother.
Primary sources not otherwise linked in article:
Special Meeting Agenda archive.org/details/spec-mtg.-11-13-2024
Chicopee PD November 2024 Newsletter: archive.org/details/november-newsletter
Chicopee City Council special meeting raises privacy concerns
By Jonathan Gerhardson on November 10, 2024.
CHICOPEE, MA – The Chicopee City Council will convene a special meeting on Wednesday, November 13, 2024, at 6:00 p.m. in the Public Safety Complex located at 110 Church Street, or via Zoom for those unable to attend in person. Mayor John L. Vieau has called this meeting to discuss critical updates and strategies related to public safety equipment and personnel deployment.
The agenda for the special meeting includes a call to order followed by an executive session. During this confidential session, the City Council will deliberate on the deployment of security personnel, devices, and associated implementation strategies. The Mayor’s intention is to explore innovative technologies and new designs in safety equipment that can enhance public protection and officer safety.
In his letter to City Council President Frank Laflamme, Mayor Vieau highlighted the growing trend among communities to leverage advanced technology for improved public safety measures. He emphasized the importance of this meeting as a crucial step towards adopting modern solutions that will better serve Chicopee’s residents and first responders.
The executive session is authorized under M.G.L. Chapter 30A, section 21(a)(4), which allows meetings to be held in closed session for discussions related to security matters. This ensures that sensitive information can be freely discussed without public interference, ultimately leading to more effective decision-making.
While not stated in the agenda, The Skynet Times believes the council will likely discuss Connect Chicopee [connectchicopee.org], a partnership with weapons and technology manufacturer Axon ($TASR).
Axon Fusus will allow the Chicopee Police to solicit the location and ownership details of privately owned security cameras and log them in a registry, so that investigators and first responders can "easily locate the nearest cameras in a designated area during the course of an investigation, emergency event, or emergency response."
Citizens especially eager to assist the Chicopee PD can additionally allow police to access their camera feeds remotely by purchasing specialized hardware from Axon.
According to the website, "camera sharing allows the Chicopee Police Department access to your camera feed in case of an emergency near your location. All your cameras or some of them. You set your preferences. Sharing your feed can improve response time and help keep you safer by providing advanced details of the situation."
While Connect Chicopee claims that Fusus does not utilize facial recognition technology,The Skynet Times could not verify this claim and has found evidence to the contrary. Not only can users purchase (fairly expensive) AI capable camera integration appliances, but Axon Fusus is a platform that allows other software to be integrated into it. A list of compatible offerings [slashdot.org/software/p/Axon-Fusus/integrations/] includes Vigilant FaceSearch by Motorola Solutions.
The description for Face Search reads:
Analyze more than 350 vectors of a suspect’s facial image to take a responsible, policy based approach to facial recognition-based identity to generate immediate leads from matches. Facial alerting and facial cataloging make it easier to identify persons of interest. Transform license plate data to promising leads that help you solve cases. Find actionable insights in your data to solve more crimes. Crowdsourcing the identity of a wanted criminal is difficult and time-consuming. Vigilant FaceSearch analyzes more than 350 facial vectors from a suspect to generate immediate leads. We use a booking gallery sourced directly from your department, partner agencies, and our exclusive database to provide a responsible, policy-based approach for facial recognition-based identification. Precision is key when it comes to facial recognition. [slashdot.org/software/p/Vigilant-FaceSearch/]
The Skynet Times has reached out to the city of Chicopee seeking clarification about the purpose of the special meeting. It has additionally filed a records request with the Chicopee Police seeking:
User manuals, technical documentation, memos, communications, and related documents that pertain to the new residential camera sharing program with the Real Time Crime Center.User manuals and technical documentation for software provided by Briefcam, Sound Thinking, and any vendors that supports camera registration and integration through connectchicopee.org/.Contracts and data use policies between Chicopee, the Real Time Crime Center, or other LE entities and the above referenced vendors.
Zoom Meeting Details:
- Meeting ID: 899 3880 5758
- Passcode: 843674
For additional information and updates, residents can contact the Mayor’s Office at City Hall, Market Square, 17 Springfield Street, Chicopee MA 01013.
The meeting is a significant step towards modernizing public safety measures in Chicopee, reflecting the city’s commitment to utilizing innovative technologies and strategies to better protect its community.
Comments
Post a Comment