Policy Committee members voted 4-1 Monday to table a proposed ordinance that would clarify and potentially restrict the use of traffic surveillance cameras in the city of Biddeford
By RANDY SEAVER | Editor
A proposed ordinance to address public surveillance concerns in Biddeford got no traction during Monday’s meeting of the city council’s policy committee.
As proposed, the 16-page draft ordinance was intended to address community concerns regarding the use of surveillance technology by police, most notably the use of so-called Flock cameras that are also known as license plate readers.
Flock is a company that manufactures public surveillance cameras.
Committee members raised concerns about the scope of the proposal and whether the ordinance would conflict with the current use of cameras in public buildings and the city’s schools.
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City Councilor Jake Pierson made the motion to discuss the policy for “discussion purposes only.”
Former city councilor Norman Belanger – another member of the committee – offered a somewhat reluctant second to at least consider the proposal.
Belanger, an attorney who graduated from Harvard Law School, said he found the proposal to be overly complex and “difficult to understand.”
City Council President Roger Beaupre chairs the Policy Committee and previously served more than 40 years as the city’s police chief.
Beaupre questioned whether the ordinance – as proposed – would cause conflicts with the current use of surveillance technology, including cameras in the city’s schools, traffic cameras that monitor high-traffic intersections and the use of body cameras by the Biddeford Police Department.
Pierson described the proposed ordinance as a solution in search of a problem.
“I don’t like building a solution for a problem that doesn’t exist,” Pierson said.
Only two members of the public attended what was anticipated to be a spirited community conversation about surveillance and privacy rights. There was no opportunity for public comment during the committee meeting.
Increased use of public surveillance technology has raised Fourth Amendment concerns by those who say the government’s ability to monitor and/or track public activity creates a slippery slope of privacy concerns.
But federal courts have ruled that there is no expectation of privacy while driving on public roads.
“I don’t like building
— Councilor Jake Pierson
a solution for a problem
that doesn’t exist.”
The Policy Committee voted 4-1 to table the proposed ordinance, effectively killing it – but Beaupre said the committee should consider further review of the ordinance and potential language changes.
City Councilor David Kurtz voted in opposition to tabling the motion.
A full draft of the proposed ordinance is attached below.
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