{"id":1852,"date":"2018-11-21T10:22:11","date_gmt":"2018-11-21T16:22:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/truthinaddison.com\/?page_id=1852"},"modified":"2018-11-21T10:22:11","modified_gmt":"2018-11-21T16:22:11","slug":"lets-talk-truth-about-fighting-crime-with-technology","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/truthinaddison.com\/?page_id=1852","title":{"rendered":"Let\u2019s Talk Truth About Fighting Crime With Technology"},"content":{"rendered":"

Let\u2019s Talk Truth<\/strong>
\nAbout Fighting Crime With Technology<\/strong>
\nBy Susan M. Halpern<\/strong>
\nFormer Addison Councilmember (1992-1999)<\/strong><\/h3>\n

On September 11, 2018, Addison Police Chief Paul Spencer gave a presentation to the Council regarding Addison\u2019s pilot project for installation of technology for reading license plates and working with facial recognition software. During his discussion, Chief Spencer stated that \u201cclear policies will be enacted to guide the process,\u201d and further commented:<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to make sure we have communication between the police department and the community to ensure transparency and accountability for this project.\u00a0 There\u2019s a lot of privacy concerns and some other concerns and we\u2019ll make sure they\u2019re addressed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chief Spencer laid out certain guiding principles, which included use of the data only for investigating crimes, short retention periods (days and weeks, not months and years), no sharing of data with commercial or non-law-enforcement entities, and the availability of information to non-criminal residents who want to know whether their information is in the system.\u00a0 Chief Spencer confirmed that the license plate readers do not record information about owners, pictures of vehicle occupants, or the make\/model of the vehicle.\u00a0 Chief Spencer emphasized that this pilot project \u201cwill be open and transparent to ensure community acceptance and approval.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chief Spencer\u2019s presentation followed his August 23, 2018 presentation to the public, and a July 10, 2018 work session discussion led by Hamid Khaleghipour, Addison\u2019s Executive Director of Business Performance and Innovation.\u00a0 Mr. Khaleghipour referenced the Town\u2019s intent to draft a \u201cvideo surveillance\/data collection policy to address requirements and responsibilities,\u201d including with respect to storage of, access to and the use of the information obtained by the cameras.\u00a0 During the September 11, 2018 meeting, Chief Spencer indicated that the Town was obtaining copies of policies enacted by other communities to aid Addison in drafting its policy.\u00a0 At the council\u2019s October 23, 2018 meeting, the council approved a contract for the development and installation of the technology for the pilot program.<\/p>\n

My neighbors and I have first-hand experience regarding the role of technology in solving crimes.\u00a0 Earlier this year, I sat through the trial of the individual who stole my neighbor\u2019s vehicle from their garage in May 2017 at about 3:30 a.m.\u00a0 The perpetrator was convicted of this felony because my neighbors had installed cameras that caught him lurking around their house.\u00a0 The perpetrator then admitted to being the person in the videos during a recorded jailhouse phone call.\u00a0 Technology handed this perpetrator his 14th<\/sup> felony conviction, and gave our neighborhood the comfort of knowing that he was being sent away for a long time.<\/p>\n

Addison\u2019s council would be remiss if it did not pursue the use of technology as a crime-solving tool.\u00a0 Indeed, one of the seven strategic pillars identified by the Council on July 11, 2017 was: \u201cMaximize the use of cutting [edge] technology to improve Addison\u2019s Public Safety Mission.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite the obvious benefits of technology, and the clear sensitivity of the Town to legitimate privacy concerns, which will (and must) be addressed in the policy on which the staff is currently working, the naysayers and negatives have chosen this pilot project as their latest issue-of-the-moment.\u00a0 The tactics are familiar: pick an issue, claim that \u201cpeople have been asking\u201d about it, mischaracterize the facts, claim that the sky is falling, attack those currently in office for their alleged mismanagement of the issue, then claim that they and they alone possess the knowledge, information and ability to solve the issue. The timing is also familiar, as filings for the May 2019 election will open in a couple of months.\u00a0 For these folks, it\u2019s time to once again try to sow the seeds of dissension.\u00a0 Luckily, Addison residents have become wise to these tactics.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the thing.\u00a0 This negative approach to issues facing our Town has never been appropriate and most importantly, it has never worked.\u00a0 Creating controversy and division causes problems and it is not a good strategy for improving our community.\u00a0 Sniping from the weeds serves no constructive purpose.\u00a0 Instead, this kind of conduct damages our community and sets us back.\u00a0 It is a poor leadership model.\u00a0 The truth is that Addison isn\u2019t helped by people who create problems.\u00a0 Rather, Addison advances when we work together to address issues and solve problems.<\/p>\n

All of which leads me to suggest that if any resident of Addison believes they have knowledge that will help Addison address an issue, advance Addison\u2019s interests or solve problems, then they should come forward and be a positive part of the process.\u00a0 That\u2019s what\u2019s best for our community.\u00a0 Indeed, this approach is precisely what defines our current councilmembers.\u00a0 They are democracy in action: seven people with different perspectives and skills, working together to address issues, advance the interests of Addison, and solve problems through a constructive deliberative process.\u00a0 We have seen the results as they dig Addison out of problems and issues.\u00a0 The current council settled the wind turbine lawsuit on favorable terms.\u00a0 They resolved the creek dispute that had lingered for far too long (including the entire tenure of the ex-mayor).\u00a0 They succeeded in finally obtaining a commitment from DART to build the rail line that was promised for years.\u00a0 And they\u2019ve done all this and more without fanfare, without staged drama, without unnecessarily prolonged meetings, without seeking personal aggrandizement, and without dividing our community.\u00a0 They\u2019re just working.\u00a0 For us.\u00a0 For Addison.\u00a0 It\u2019s democracy.\u00a0 TRUE democracy.<\/p>\n

So, let\u2019s talk briefly about the license plate readers.\u00a0 First, the assertion that there is no policy in place is grossly misleading.\u00a0 This is a pilot project.\u00a0 By definition, it\u2019s new.\u00a0 The staff is working on establishing policies and procedures, and is planning to bring their proposal to the council in January 2019.\u00a0 There is NO intention of \u201cgoing live\u201d without policies in place.\u00a0 The author of recent posts and a blast email was told exactly that in an email from the City Manager dated November 12, 2018 (11:22 a.m.), but proceeded with the misinformation anyway, including by falsely stating that the council \u201chasn\u2019t done anything to question this.\u201d\u00a0 What nonsense.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s all just more of the same.\u00a0 And the timing of it indicates that these folks may intend to run a slate of candidates for office next year (\u201cslates\u201d seem to be their practice).\u00a0 If they do, expect them to claim that \u201cpeople have been asking them\u201d to run or that \u201cpeople are concerned\u201d about some predictably concocted issue.\u00a0 They\u2019ll probably make their usual empty claims about transparency, despite their established track record of misleading rhetoric and concealment of information (go back and review my articles about Kanter and the withheld Lea Dunn memo for a taste of their past practices and appalling lack of transparency).<\/p>\n

In the meantime, kudos to the current council for tackling all these issues and for initiating this new program.\u00a0 Today\u2019s technology unquestionably raises important privacy issues even as it clearly helps law enforcement to solve crimes, as it did with the Boston Marathon bombing and with the theft of my neighbors\u2019 vehicle.\u00a0 Addison needs to responsibly address those issues, and we all need to consider them and make sure to contact the City Manager, the Mayor and\/or our councilmembers with any comments, concerns or suggestions.\u00a0 Let\u2019s be a positive part of an important discussion.<\/p>\n

And let\u2019s discourage folks from sniping from the weeds.\u00a0 Better yet, let\u2019s ignore them.\u00a0\u00a0We don\u2019t need that kind of conduct. Nor do we need efforts to cause alarm needlessly, including by spreading misinformation.\u00a0 We must continue to move Addison forward, and to do that, we cannot allow the negatives and naysayers to bring our community down with their griping and negative messages.\u00a0 This pilot program is new and unique.\u00a0 If these folks have something to say, let them be a positive and constructive part of the process.<\/p>\n

And lastly, if any of you received the unsolicited email and have questions about how the sender got your email address, please let the City Manager or a member of the council know about it.\u00a0 I\u2019m very curious about the use of certain email addresses, and how the sender gained access to them, particularly given all the past events that occurred in connection with Addison\u2019s email list.<\/p>\n

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