South Bend announces policies for 'real time crime center,' facial recognition technology

SOUTH BEND — Police and city officials on Tuesday unveiled a series of policies that are aimed at governing the use of South Bend’s new “Real Time Crime Center.” 

The project will feature an expansion of video cameras and facial recognition technology as part of the city’s push to curb violent crime. The goal, outlined by city officials, is to have the various pieces of surveillance technology feed into a central hub, or Real Time Crime Center, that will allow officers and analysts to track incidents as they happen. 

The Common Council has approved funding for the center, but city officials are seeking feedback on the policies, which will govern the center. 

On Tuesday evening, South Bend Police Chief Scott Ruszkowski, Mayor James Mueller and Chief Innovation Officer Denise Riedl presented the policies in a public meeting held at the O’Brien Fitness Center. During their remarks, officials encouraged residents to submit feedback online and attempted to assuage concerns about “Big Brother” implications of the new technology.  

“We want to balance the effectiveness and efficiency that this technology brings us in delivering safety services to our community and do it in such a way that’s not causing new issues,” Mueller said at the meeting. 

Real Time Crime Center 

In its policy outlining the use and scope of cameras connected to the Real Time Crime Center, the location of cameras is a central focus. The policy says that city cameras will only monitor public rights of way or areas “where no reasonable expectation of privacy exists.” 

Surveillance cameras will only record video, not audio, footage, the policy states, and decisions about where cameras are installed must be approved by the police chief and mayor.  

“This will be in public spaces only. If you had your cell phone out and recording it would be no different,” Ruszkowski said. “It’s not invading anyone’s privacy.” 

More on the Real Time Crime Center:South Bend police plan 'real-time crime center.' Success rests on buy-in for surveillance

The city also plans to partner with private businesses to install cameras that police can access, though those entities must have a written agreement giving law enforcement “specific permission” to view the feeds. 

The South Bend Police Department in July signed a contact with software company Fusus, which will provide the cloud-based technology for the crime center.  

Facial recognition and license plate readers 

Most of Tuesday’s conversation revolved around questions from the public and explanations from city officials on how facial recognition would be used to investigate crimes as part of the new surveillance initiative.  

According to the draft policy, facial recognition will only be used in investigations involving violent crimes such as murder, assault or robbery. Even then, facial recognition can only be used as “lead only,” meaning it can’t be used as the sole basis for probable cause to make an arrest or to obtain a warrant.  

For instance, if a shooting is committed in an area with video surveillance, police could use facial recognition to identify a potential suspect, Ruszkowski explained. However, detectives would need other corroborating information, such as a witness identification or phone records, before making an arrest.  

The facial recognition policy also limits the number of people who can authorize a facial recognition search to a handful of police department command staff. A written request must be filled out each time facial recognition analysis is run. 

The police department also posted its policy governing license plate readers, though that technology has been in use for years and has proven successful in solving a variety of cases, according to Assistant Police Chief Dan Skibins.  

Community concerns 

Of the handful of residents who attended Tuesday’s meeting, some felt the policies as outlined are “murky” in how the data collected by video systems will be used and stored.  

Though no further meetings have been scheduled, officials are encouraging residents to read and submit feedback on the policies online. The proposed policies must be approved by the Board of Public Safety before being implemented.  

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Darryl Heller, a member of the board and director of the Civil Rights Heritage Center, said he isn’t sold on the use of facial recognition software, calling it “notoriously bias,” and questioned the department’s motivations for it. Heller also wants to examine how sites for police cameras are chosen and worries about whether video systems will prevent crime. 

“I think that it doesn’t actually deter crime, it just moves to places out of range of the cameras,” he said. 

One academic study conducted by Michigan State University on Detroit's Project Greenlight showed "no measurable change in violent crime" though shootings in Detroit as a whole decreased from 2011 to 2019. The study did show an increase in property and disorder crimes at Greenlight-affiliated locations, though the apparent increase in crime was likely due to increased reporting of incidents, rather than a true rise.

The study does highlight a 46% drop in carjackings at Project Greenlight locations, suggesting the cameras acted as a deterrent.

South Bend city officials toured Detroit's crime center and are basing aspects of the Real Time Crime Center off Project Green Light, with police adding that Atlanta's systems will also serve as a model.

Timetable 

The draft policies were given to the Board of Public Safety in late September and board members are expected to discuss them at the body’s Oct. 19 meeting before a potential vote in November. 

According to its presentation, the city expects to begin installing its cameras and setting up the crime center in early 2023. Before that, Skibins said the police department hopes to have a few cameras set up at local businesses to give the concept a pilot run. The city is in the process of reaching out to businesses in areas where violent crimes has occurred, he said. 

Email Marek Mazurek at mmazurek@sbtinfo.com. Follow him on Twitter: @marek_mazurek