San Francisco mayor wants police to make tactical, strategic decisions on facial recognition

The U.S. city of San Francisco’s reputation as a permissive haven of peaceably stoned jaywalkers takes some hits periodically, but what its mayor is proposing for biometric surveillance may be a full-speed tackle.

Mayor London Breed has put a measure on the next ballot that would significantly deregulate police use of face biometrics including the platforms where cameras can be bolted.

Breed might be making San Francisco the least rule-bound U.S. municipality that still has rules about surveillance.

Since a 2019 law, the city’s governing Board of Supervisors have built friction into the process of police getting, for instance, facial recognition systems. The board would have to approve police rules of engagement for biometrics before an acquisition.

Board members have considerable control on tactical deployments, too, like allowing viewing live video feeds, placement of cameras and the like.

Breed says she was frustrated when it took her almost a year to give police permission to view live surveillance.

A news article in The San Francisco Standard attributes the move to an insecure mayor who’s trying to curry favor with voters who, according to the Standard, tell pollsters public safety is a primary concern.

Regardless of motivation, Breed’s measure, which will be on the March ballot, would allow her to truthfully say she had removed hurdles put in place to reduce police actions that violate civil rights, privacy and notions of public safety.

She wants to let police to get any surveillance systems without the board’s approval and allow them to employ them for a year before proposing rules for their use, according to the Standard.

Using drones for live surveillance would be a department decision, too.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  criminal ID  |  facial recognition  |  police  |  regulation  |  San Francisco  |  video surveillance