Justice
In San Diego, ‘Smart’ Streetlights Spark Surveillance Reform
Camera-equipped street lamps were supposed to gather traffic data; instead, their video footage went to police. Now lawmakers are pushing back.
One of San Diego’s controversial “smart” streetlights. Video footage captured by the devices has been useful for police investigations, but lawmakers are demanding broader oversight.
Photo: Google Streetview
A homicide detective looked up from the scene of a fatal shooting in San Diego’s Gaslamp District in August 2018 and saw something unusual: The streetlight glowing overhead didn’t look like a normal streetlight.
That’s because it wasn’t. The LED light on the pole was also equipped with an optical sensor. As it illuminated the city, it was capturing 24-hour video footage of the scenes beneath it.