S.T.O.P. Expresses Concern At Adams’ Police Tech Conflict Of Interest, Demands Tech Transparency

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View this email in your browser For Immediate Release S.T.O.P. Expresses Concern At Adams’ Police Tech Conflict Of Interest, Demands Tech Transparency Follows News Reports That NYC Mayor Eric Adams endorsed a vendor with financial relationships to staff. (New York, NY, 5/19/2022) - Today, the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.), a New York-based privacy and civil rights group, expressed concern at Eric Adams’ promotion of policing technology firms connected to his staff. The New York Times reported that Adams repeatedly endorsed BolaWrap, an unproven tether launching system invested in by chief of staff and long-time benefactor, Frank Carone. S.T.O.P. also demanded better transparency about police technology purchases, highlighting the Adams Administration’s failure to comply with the 2020 POST Act, which requires the NYPD to identify all police surveillance vendors. SEE: The New York Times - As Adams Praised a New Police Tool, a Close Ally Had a Stake in the Maker https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/18/nyregion/eric-adams-frank-carone-bolawrap.html “If these sorts of conflicts are happening in plain sight, it’s terrifying to imagine what’s happening behind closed doors,” said Surveillance Technology Oversight Project Executive Director Albert Fox Cahn. “For years, the NYPD has systematically hidden the surveillance vendors that it spends billions of dollars on, making oversight and accountability impossible. In 2020, the City Council responded with the POST Act, forcing the NYPD to disclose its vendors, but the Department has yet to comply. This conflict of interest makes it even more urgent for the Adams Administration and NYPD to comply with the law and tell us what surveillance tools New York taxpayers are buying.” Since passage of the Public Oversight of Surveillance Technology (POST) Act, large numbers of civil rights and grass roots organizations have condemned the NYPD’s failure to provide the data required under the law, including information on specific surveillance vendors. More recently, S.T.O.P. has also condemned the Office of the Inspector General for the NYPD, and independent oversight body, for failure to issue its report on POST Act compliance as required under the law. Despites these failures. S.T.O.P. and the Legal Aid Society were able to use the POST Act to obtain hundreds of millions in secret surveillance contracts from the New York City Comptroller. SEE: Press Release - S.T.O.P., Legal Aid Society Reveal Secret NYPD Surveillance Contracts Now Exceed $277 Million https://www.stopspying.org/latest-news/2021/9/14/stop-legal-aid-society-reveal-secret-nypd-surveillance-contracts-now-exceed-277-million Press Release - NYC Council Members, S.T.O.P. Release Joint Statement Condemning NYPD Noncompliance with POST Act https://www.stopspying.org/latest-news/2021/2/25/joint-release The Surveillance Technology Oversight Project is a non-profit advocacy organization and legal services provider. 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 © 2021 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.