Portland police keep number and
location of video cameras private
The Portland Police Bureau, which won City Council approval
in June to expand its use of video surveillance cameras, doesn't want the
public to know how many cameras it has -- or where they're aimed.
The Oregonian recently asked the bureau to share details of
its surveillance equipment. The bureau denied the newspaper's public-records
request, citing an exemption in Oregon law that allows public agencies to
withhold "investigative materials."
The lack of transparency raises questions about the city's
possible surveillance of non-criminal activities, advocates for civil liberties
and police oversight say.
"We should have a right to know how many cameras they
have and how they're using them," said Becky Straus, legislative director
for American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon.
The bureau's denial also comes as it increases reliance on
digital technology to monitor the public. The bureau launched a pilot program
last fall to test video cameras in patrol cars with the goal of equipping all
patrol cars soon. Officers also have tested body-worn cameras.
Wednesday, the City Council will consider a Police Bureau
request to add an SUV to its fleet to equip with a license plate recognition
system for surveillance.
"What's the endpoint of all this?" asked Dan
Handelman, an advocate for police oversight with Portland Copwatch. "Is it
a camera in every house?"
Portland's turn toward video technology isn't exactly new.
However, it's not clear whether the bureau now has a handful of cameras or
hundreds.
Police Chief Mike Reese acknowledged in City Council
testimony in May that the bureau has long used video cameras. Other agencies
and businesses have them, too: on TriMet platforms, state highways, cash
machines, government buildings and convenience stores, among other places.
"In our community, we have cameras everywhere,"
Reese said. "I think sometimes we don't realize how much technology has
progressed in the last few decades."
Video surveillance is widespread among law enforcement
agencies elsewhere, including New York, Chicago and London. Small-town
Pendleton installed video cameras in 2009 so cops could remotely monitor hot
spots.
Pendleton Mayor Phillip Houk said the program -- still in
effect -- is working, although he noted that Pendleton has far less crime than
cities such as Portland. Pendleton also uses signs to remind people they might
be on camera.
"It really has made a difference," Houk said.
"To me, it creates a real opportunity for the safety of citizens when they
know they might be monitored."
The Oregonian's request for information followed the City
Council's decision in June to allow police and private property owners to
install cameras in Old Town/Chinatown. The goal, police said, is to monitor
drug deals or other crimes.
So far, police have approved at least one camera under the
program -- at Boxer Northwest, the restaurant supply store at 438 N.W.
Broadway. Lt. Robert King, a police spokesman, said sharing that location did
not comprise any ongoing investigations.
But further disclosures, he said, could undermine criminal
cases.