13 Civil Rights Groups Demand City Council Hold NYPD Accountable For Breaking Tech Oversight Law, Buying New Robots

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View this email in your browser For Immediate Release 13 Civil Rights Groups Demand City Council Hold NYPD Accountable For Breaking Tech Oversight Law, Buying New Robots The letter to Speaker Adrienne Adams and Public Safety Chair Kamillah Hanks comes in response to the NYPD’s illegal purchase of drones and GPS tracking devices in violation of the 2020 POST Act. (New York, NY, 4/13/2023) – Today, 13 civil rights group, led by the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.), a New York-based privacy and civil rights group, wrote a letter to City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, urging the Council to hold the NYPD accountable for breaking the city’s technology oversight laws by purchasing police drones and GPS guns. The letter comes just days after Mayor Eric Adams and NYPD Commissioner Sewell announced the purchase of Knightscope K5 robots, Boston Robotics Digidog, and StarChase GPS guns. The purchase violated the landmark 2020 Public Oversight of Surveillance Technology (POST) Act, which requires public notice and comment on any surveillance purchase. The civil rights groups called on the City Council Committee On Public Safety to investigate past NYPD POST Act violations and strengthen the legislation to prevent similar misconduct in the future.   SEE: Sign-On Letter – 13 Civil Rights And Community-Based Organizations Request Hearing On NYPD Robots And Violations Of The POST Act https://www.stopspying.org/sign-on-letters/2023/4/13/thirteen-civil-rights-and-community-based-organizations-request-hearing-on-nypd-robots-and-violations-of-the-post-act   The New York Times - Security Robots. DigiDog. GPS Launchers. Welcome to New York. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/11/nyregion/nypd-digidog-robot-crime.html “We can never accept it when those sworn to uphold the law violate it instead,” said Surveillance Technology Oversight Project Executive Director Albert Fox Cahn. “The NYPD continues to show its contempt for the Council every time it ignores the POST Act. There must be clear consequences when the police refuse to comply with the laws duly enacted by the people’s representatives. This isn’t just a threat to New Yorkers’ civil rights, but to our very system of government. We hope the Council will act swiftly to reassert its indispensable role and the rule of law.” On Tuesday, S.T.O.P. noted that Mayor Eric Adam’s and NYPD Commissioner Sewell’s announcement of new “knockoff Robocop” police drones and other technologies was made without any public notice as required by the POST Act. Last month, the organization commended findings from the Office of the Inspector General for the NYPD, which found the NYPD failed to comply with 93% of the watchdog’s compliance recommendations. SEE: Press Release - S.T.O.P. Condemns NYPD’s ‘Knockoff Robocop’ Police Drones https://www.stopspying.org/latest-news/2023/4/11/stop-condemns-nypds-knockoff-robocop-police-drones Press Release - S.T.O.P. Welcomes OIG Findings That NYPD Breaks Surveillance Law https://www.stopspying.org/latest-news/2023/3/30/stop-welcomes-oig-findings-that-nypd-breaks-surveillance-law Just yesterday, the city council took a historic step to protect New Yorkers from mass surveillance, introducing two new laws to outlaw facial recognition and other biometric surveillance. The bills come after years of pressure from advocates to ban the biased and invasive technology. SEE: Press Release - S.T.O.P. Celebrates Intro Of 2 NYC Facial Recognition Bans https://www.stopspying.org/latest-news/2023/4/12/stop-celebrates-intro-of-2-nyc-facial-recognition-bans   In 2021, the civil rights group led opposition to the NYPD’s use of Digidog. Following enormous public pushback, the NYPD agreed to cease using the robot under then-mayor Bill de Blasio. SEE: Press Release - S.T.O.P. Renews Condemnation Of NYPD Robot Dog https://www.stopspying.org/latest-news/2021/4/14/stop-renews-condemnation-of-nypd-robot-dog 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.