S.T.O.P. Condemns NYPD Expansion Of CCTV, ShotSpotter

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View this email in your browser For Immediate Release S.T.O.P. Condemns NYPD Expansion Of CCTV, ShotSpotter [NEW YORK, NY, 3/4/2021] - Today, the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.), a New York-based privacy group, condemned the NYPD’s announced expansion of CCTV cameras and ShotSpotter gunshot detection microphones to combat hate crimes. ShotSpotter previously come under scrutiny for producing inaccurate data and driving stop-and-frisk searches in Black and Latinx communities.   SEE: NYPD Media Availability https://youtu.be/ZnmQ7XUU21I “Expanding surveillance won’t protect our city from hate, but it will put BIPOC New Yorkers in danger,” said Surveillance Technology Oversight Project Executive Director Albert Fox Cahn. “ShotSpotter is invasive and error-prone. There is little evidence that this technology actually works. We don’t want to see even more New Yorkers being wrongly stopped because of a system that can’t tell the difference between fireworks and a gunshot. When ShotSpotter gets it wrong, New Yorkers can end up dead. It’s also concerning to see the department expand reliance on CCTV, especially as the City comes under growing pressure to end its facial recognition program, which often draws on CCTV images.”   ShotSpotter previously came under scrutiny for failing to differentiate gunshots from other loud sounds, particularly fireworks. The surveillance system has led to increased confrontations between the NYPD and community members, including a deadly shooting last summer.   SEE: The City – ‘ShotSpotter’ Tested as Shootings and Fireworks Soar, While Civil Rights Questions Linger https://www.thecity.nyc/2020/7/5/21312671/shotspotter-nyc-shootings-fireworks-nypd-civil-rights   N.Y. Times – Police Fatally Shoot Armed Man After Standoff in Brooklyn https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/03/nyregion/police-shooting-nypd-brooklyn.html   N.Y. Post – NYPD’s gunshot sensors keep picking up fireworks explosions https://nypost.com/2017/07/04/nypds-gunshot-sensors-keep-picking-up-fireworks-explosions/   The surveillance firm is also being sued by a Rochester man who claims that ShotSpotter altered evidence to falsely support police statements that he had fired on officers. Silvon Simmons was acquitted of charges that he attempted to murder a police officer after jurors found ShotSpotter evidence was unreliable.   SEE: Reuters - Shots in the Dark https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/usa-police-rochester-trial/   Cahn continued, “We should not be doing business with a company that has been accused of manufacturing evidence to cover up a police shooting. These microphones are incredibly invasive, capturing conversations people have on the street, or even in their own apartments.” The Surveillance Technology Oversight Project is a non-profit advocacy organization and legal services provider hosted by the Urban Justice Center. S.T.O.P. litigates and advocates for privacy, fighting excessive local and state-level surveillance. Our work highlights the discriminatory impact of surveillance on Muslim Americans, immigrants, and communities of color.   - END – CONTACT: S.T.O.P. Executive Director Albert Fox Cahn Copyright © 2019 Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, All rights reserved. Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.