Law enforcement technologySan Francisco to install real-time surveillance on buses

Thanks to a $6 million DHS grant San Francisco’s MUNI buses will soon be equipped with a network of sophisticated high-tech video cameras that will allow the transit agency to view footage in real-time.

The grant is aimed at updating MUNI’s existing surveillance system which is now more than a decade old and relies on increasingly obsolete technology like tapes stored on each vehicle that must be brought in to the office before they can be viewed.

With the additional funding MUNI will install surveillance systems on 358 of its buses along with wireless networks, computers, and servers at three bus yards. According to city documents, the new technology “will enable SFMTA (San Francisco Municipal Transportation Authority) personnel to view, download and store the captured video images wirelessly and view them in real-time or through the Internet.”

“Having a more reliable camera system will help us improve safety, reduce and more effectively manage claims and prosecute crimes,” said Kristen Holland, spokeswoman for SFMTA, which oversees Muni. “Surveillance footage has and will continue to be one of the key elements of our efforts to reduce vandalism and all crimes on MUNI.”

The new system will also allow local law enforcement officers, emergency responders, and other authorized personnel to see real-time footage from inside and outside of the bus by wirelessly tapping into the system from as far as 500 yards away in the event that the bus is hijacked.

The installation of the cameras comes as part of a larger city-wide effort to install a network of real-time surveillance equipment. Taxi cabs recently installed recording devices that capture activity both inside and outside the vehicle and in 2005 San Francisco began installing police surveillance cameras around the city.

The increase in surveillance technology has generated criticism from civil rights advocates who say the latest proposal raises several legal issues.

“The rights of privacy mean the government doesn’t get a blank check,” said Linda Lye, the staff attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California. “What is being done with the information, how long is it being retained and how is it being disseminated?”

In response Holland said, “We will have to evaluate how any new features of the system will be integrated into our operations. However, [real-time viewing] is not a capability that we envision using on a full-time basis.”