LAPD Plans to Build a Real-Time Crime Center

We’ve previously warned that the rise of internet-connected doorbell cameras could give local police forces a powerful new surveillance tool. A follow-up article looked at the increasing number of partnerships between US police departments and Amazon’s Ring network. There’s was a 2021 story by the Los Angeles Times that reveals how close the relationship between Ring and the police has become, and even Google Map that shows such collaborations have become extremely common across the US.

According to the article, more than 100 officers in the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) were provided with one or more free Ring devices or discount codes. The officers were encouraged to recommend the Ring system in order to create a network of doorstep surveillance systems that they could draw on in their investigations – while boosting Ring sales, of course. An investigation by The Markup in early 2023 provided more details of how users of the Ring system in Los Angeles were passing on information about what they saw as suspicious activity to the LAPD. Now, Los Angeles Public Press has revealed information about an even more ambitious surveillance system that the LAPD is putting together:

Dubbed LAPD Live, the surveillance program would allow the LAPD to build a real-time crime center with access to not only security camera feeds, but also live streams from the department’s helicopters. The department also plans to integrate its other surveillance technologies, including the predictive policing tool Compstat, onto a single screen. Their stated goal is to have access to 10,000 cameras across the city in the coming years. The new surveillance program would operate out of a newly created command center and is projected to cost $1 million.

If the program is implemented as planned, the crime center will have real-time access to cameras on and in city buildings, retail stores, police helicopters, and officer body cameras. However, an important element of the system is the inclusion of doorbell video cameras from owners who wish to contribute to the plan:

Under the program, homeowners would also have the option to participate by registering their cameras with the department to more easily share footage. The LAPD would notify homeowners of a crime committed nearby and, as noted in their budget request for the program, “with a few clicks of a computer” they would have access to a homeowner’s camera footage. The department argues this will reduce the time and money spent on canvassing neighborhoods after a crime, gathering evidence, and talking to witnesses. It says this will increase community participation after a crime occurs as it “eliminates the need for officer visits to private residents” which “preserves individual privacy.”

It’s ironic that the LAPD is attempting to justify a massive integrated surveillance system on the grounds that it “preserves individual privacy.” The LAPD already has funding for another surveillance project, dubbed “Project Blue Light”. The focus here is on fighting organized retail theft, and the funding would cover the bulk of the cost of creating the police department’s real-time surveillance infrastructure.

LAPD’s proposed Project Blue Light, named after a similar surveillance program created by the Detroit Police Department called Project Greenlight, would focus largely on private or public partnerships with retail stores and would allow LAPD to access real-time feeds of people shopping and working. Businesses that sign up for the program would have to cover costs, which would vary depending on the number of cameras registered.

The emphasis on fighting organized shoplifting is noteworthy. As last week’s PIA blog post wrote, it recently emerged that claims about “organized” shoplifting have been exaggerated. Moreover, the Department of Justice’s National Institute of Justice, which carries out research into the effectiveness of crime reduction programs, awarded Project Green Light a No Effects rating. That “implies that implementing the program is unlikely to result in the intended outcome(s) and may result in a negative outcome(s).”

Tackling shoplifting is not the only reason the LAPD gives for its new integrated surveillance system. The LA Public Press article says that the city’s police department wants the technology to be operational in time for major events that will take place in Los Angeles, including the 2026 World Cup and the 2028 Olympics. It’s interesting to see those major sporting events mentioned as one reason why the LAPD wants to build a large-scale surveillance system. It’s precisely the argument used by police forces in the UK, US and France, as we discussed back in May.

That post noted that the French authorities not only want to build out their surveillance capabilities for the 2024 Paris Olympics – exactly as Los Angeles does for the subsequent Olympic games – but have authorized the use of AI software to spot “suspicious behavior” among visitors. Given the growing deployment of AI in all areas of life, it would be surprising if the LAPD did not also advocate its use for the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Olympics. Once such AI-based CCTV systems exist in Los Angeles and elsewhere, they will become normalized and deployed more widely, as will the centralized crime centers whose aggregated data represents a dangerous new threat to privacy.

Featured image by Pix4free.