PORT ANGELES — The proliferation of video cameras in public places, such as those being studied for three city parks, is causing concern among civil libertarians.
“Each camera is installed for a good intention, but it adds up to a large number,” said American Civil Liberties Union Communications Director Doug Honig of Seattle.
“This leads to a situation where people are constantly under surveillance in public areas,” Honig said.
The proliferation of video surveillance cameras in recent years is not a healthy trend, he said.
It’s a public policy issue, not a legal issue, but these cameras by their nature end up watching innocent, law-abiding citizens, Honig said.
The city of Oakland dropped its plan for video cameras in public areas after citizens complained and a advisory committee recommended against it, he said.
The Port Angeles Police Department is exploring installing video surveillance cameras sometime next year at Francis Street Park, City Pier and the Dream Playground at Erickson Park.
City Parks and Recreation Director Marc Connelly said the discussion between police and parks department personnel began a year ago following vandalism at the new Francis Street Park.
“We were discussing how to be more proactive in combating that problem, and the idea of installing cameras came up.
“It would be at just those three parks for now. They are three of our most heavily used ones,” Connelly said.
Those three parks have sustained vandalism costing the city an estimated $7,100 during 2003, Connelly said.
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The rest of the story appears in Wednesday’s Peninsula Daily News.
