Cambridge police eye overt camera pilot for Central Square amid surveillance review

CAMBRIDGE — May 29, 2024 — Cambridge Public Safety Committee backs overt camera pilot for Central Square, signals openness to drone use. Police Commissioner Christine Elow told the committee May 29 that the department plans to file a surveillance technology impact report seeking council approval for a limited overt-camera program in Central Square and Washington Elms, where residents have repeatedly requested more cameras and lighting. Sound Thinking representatives confirmed Cambridge's ShotSpotter system covers 1.3 square miles with 33 sensors, and said a federal investigation into the technology's placement relative to federal funding is ongoing. Vice Mayor Marc McGovern defended the existing ShotSpotter deployment, saying residents of Newtown Court and Washington Elms "are living with concerns about letting their kids out to play" and have not asked for the technology to be removed. The department has also selected a body-worn camera vendor and is completing software infrastructure and union negotiations before deployment. Co-Chair Burhan Siddiqui requested a formal written response from the city solicitor to CAIR's concerns about covert camera use at the Elbit Systems building, where cameras were deployed after repeated felony vandalism and have since been removed.