San Diego Police May Use ‘Smart Streetlight’ Surveillance Again, But Wants Community Input First

Jun 21, 2023

The San Diego Police Department will hold a series of community meetings next week about a proposal to use streetlights equipped with surveillance cameras and automated license-plate readers as tools to solve crimes.

So-called "smart streetlights" were in the limelight for years amid privacy concerns, even prompting several reports from NBC 7 Investigates.

The streetlight were in use in San Diego for several years before city leaders agreed to deactivate the video recording capabilities of the devices in 2020 amid protests over perceived government intrusiveness and demands for limits on how they could be used.

The drive came about in 2019, following the revelation that the $30.3 million Smart Streetlights program ⁠— approved in late 2016 and billed as a way to assess traffic patterns ⁠— actually put more than 3,000 cameras and microphones in San Diego's streetlights. Some of these surveillance devices were used by the San Diego Police Department to solve violent crimes, but public backlash caused then-Mayor Kevin Faulconer to shutter the program.

A new proposal could put the streetlights back in action for San Diego police as long as their use aligns the terms of a 2022 ordinance detailing requirements that every city department meet for each technology that meets the criteria of surveillance, officials said.

San Diego police also want to add the use of automated license-plate readers.

The meetings will consist of a presentation outlining the capabilities of the two technologies and their proposed use by the SDPD, including access, data storage and retention, and release of video collected.

The sessions are scheduled for:

Those interested in attending the meetings are encouraged to review in advance the planned public presentation, use policies and other supporting materials on the SDPD's technology web page.

Public comments regarding the topics will be accepted until 5 p.m. March 10.