Aerial Surveillance Program Starts Again In Baltimore

BALTIMORE, MD — Baltimore's aerial investigation program got off the ground Friday, according to police. The surveillance plane contracted by the department went aloft after police defeated a temporary injunction in court and hosted community education presentations online that officials said netted 19,000 views.

During the 40 hours a week it flies, the surveillance plane will capture footage that records one pixel per person, meaning each person and vehicle will appear as a single dot, according to police, who said the footage would not capture clothing, ethnicity or license plate numbers but rather create "dots that can be tracked from a crime scene" to aid in investigations.

"I take very seriously the utilization of every tool available to address the unacceptable levels of violence in our communities," Baltimore Police Commissioner Michael Harrison said. "I remain cautiously optimistic about the potential of this program and will allow the data to show us the efficacy of this technology as a potential tool for the department in solving and reducing violent crime."

There have been 89 homicides so far this year and 179 nonfatal shootings, according to the Baltimore Police Department's data as of Friday, May 1. There were 94 homicides and 214 nonfatal shootings at this time in 2019, police said.

This is not the first time the Baltimore Police Department has tried aerial surveillance.

In August 2016, it was revealed that the Baltimore Police Department authorized a private firm to use cameras mounted on a small plane for aerial surveillance of Baltimore City. The program began in early 2016, according to Capital News Service. Then-Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, the Baltimore City Council and state officials were not initially made aware of the program and were not notified until months after it began.

When the Baltimore Board of Estimates approved the pilot program in March, it limited the scope and timeframe. Aerial surveillance will be used to focus on solving murders, nonfatal shootings, armed robberies and carjackings, according to police, and the program will last for 180 days.

The ACLU challenged whether it was constitutional, and the U.S. District Court ruled April 24 that the plane could fly.

Police said these elements of oversight are built into the framework of the program as of 2020:

• Civilian review: Civilian auditors will ensure the program is only used for what police say it will be.
• Independent audits: Independent research partners will evaluate its effectiveness. When the council approved the program, the suggested partners list included Morgan State University, New York University, the University of Baltimore and the RAND Corporation.
• Data protection: Data will only be used for purposes related to criminal investigations, and all data that is not used will only be stored for 45 days.

Information about the program is on the Baltimore Police Department's website.

Related:

• Baltimore To Pilot Surveillance Plane Program: Commissioner
• Baltimore Police Must Report Surveillance Tactics, New Bill Proposes