Who's policing the cops? ACLU wants to know what police are doing with their surveillance equipment

The ACLU believes the information will show communities of color have seen more use of technology

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Published September 21, 2016 6:05PM (EDT)

In this Nov. 5, 2014 file photo, Sgt. Chris Wicklund of the Burnsville, Minn., Police Department wears a body camera beneath his microphone. Cleveland's move to buy 1,500 police body cameras and data storage could cost up to $3.3 million over five years, a higher price tag than previously known and an illustration of the long-term costs of such programs with Taser International. (AP)
In this Nov. 5, 2014 file photo, Sgt. Chris Wicklund of the Burnsville, Minn., Police Department wears a body camera beneath his microphone. Cleveland's move to buy 1,500 police body cameras and data storage could cost up to $3.3 million over five years, a higher price tag than previously known and an illustration of the long-term costs of such programs with Taser International. (AP)

WASHINGTON — The American Civil Liberties Union has announced that bills being introduced in nearly a dozen cities will aim to force police departments to disclose the surveillance technologies they use.

The legislative effort by the ACLU and other transparency advocates announced Wednesday is meant to counter what they call a culture of secrecy surrounding police department surveillance.

They say that in the cities where police have released data about their surveillance operations, the technology has been used disproportionately in communities of color and low-income areas.

The cities where bills will be introduced include the District of Columbia; New York; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Richmond, Virginia; and Seattle.


By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

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