Smart Streetlights Are A Taxpayer-Funded Surveillance Tool
If you live in San Diego, you have probably heard of the CityIQ “smart streetlights” equipped with high resolution cameras, microphones, and other sensors. The city has purchased and set up thousands of these devices, which ended up costing WAY more than expected. The video feeds have been accessed by police without any oversight, including to investigate BLM protesters from last summer. The streetlights have been extensively documented by several local journalists, with a great recap from Voice of San Diego’s Jesse Marx.
San Diego Police Are Betting You Don’t Care
Help ensure San Diego has strong surveillance tech oversight and privacy laws, by reaching out to your Councilmember and the Police Officers Association.
Last November, due to the activism of TRUST SD Coalition, the San Diego City Council passed a first draft of a surveillance oversight ordinance. But it isn’t a law yet, as the City is required to discuss it with the City’s labor unions in a “meet-and-confer” process.
The Police Officer’s Association is doing two things to try to keep their shiny new surveillance network intact:
- They are delaying the “meet and confer” process in the hopes that we will forget about this issue.
- They are expected to ask for amendments that would weaken the ordinance, letting police continue to access video, audio, and other data without limits.
SDPD thinks that you don’t care about surveillance tech oversight or your privacy. They think that if they can delay the process long enough, you will forget about the issues and they can do whatever they want, now and forever.
Map of installed smart streetlights
Stand Up Against Surveillance In Your City
If you want strong privacy oversight in San Diego then we at San Diego Tech Workers Coalition recommend you do two things (with detailed instructions below):
- Reach out to your San Diego City Councilmember to tell them how important strong surveillance tech oversight without loopholes for law enforcement agencies is for you.
- Contact the Police Officers Association and tell them to stop holding up the ordinance.
How to reach out to your City Councilmember
- If you don’t know who your Councilmember is, first find your council district with this website
- Once you find your district, find your Councilmember’s email on the table below:
| District | Councilmember | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joe LaCava | JoeLaCava@sandiego.gov |
| 2 | Jennifer Campbell | JenniferCampbell@sandiego.gov |
| 3 | Stephen Whitburn | StephenWhitburn@sandiego.gov |
| 4 | Monica Montgomery | CD4News@sandiego.gov |
| 5 | Marni von Wilpert | MarnivonWilpert@sandiego.gov |
| 6 | Chris Cate | ChrisCate@sandiego.gov |
| 7 | Raul Campillo | RaulCampillo@sandiego.gov |
| 8 | Vivian Moreno | VivianMoreno@sandiego.gov |
| 9 | Sean Elo-Rivera | SeanEloRivera@sandiego.gov |
What to include in your message
- Your name and address (so they know they need your vote)
- Let them know you care about surveillance tech in San Diego
- Tell them you want strong oversight for privacy
How to contact the Police Officer’s Association
Here’s a few options:
- Use their contact form: https://www.sdpoa.org/contact-us
- Call them: (858) 573-1199
- Send them mail, or stop by in person and yell at their windows at:
San Diego Police Officers Association
8388 Vickers St
San Diego, CA 92111
What to include in your message
- You are a concerned citizen living in San Deigo
- Let them know you care about appropriate use restrictions for surveillance tech in San Diego
- Tell them to "meet and confer" so we can publicly discuss the smart streetlights as a community