Surveillance Statutes

‘Predictive Policing’ Isn’t In Science Fiction, It’s In Sacramento

Sacramento —like New York, Houston, Miami, St. Louis, and other cities before it— is looking at the next step: the launch in October of a ?real-time crime center,? a central location from which officers could monitor all their existing surveillance technologies, PODs included. The idea is that consolidating information about criminal activity —from stalking complaints to potential lone wolf terrorist attacks— would make law enforcement more effective at investigating and perhaps preventing some incidents. The process would also promote accountability and transparency at a time of rising tension between police and the black community, providing evidence of both police and suspect behavior during tense encounters, proponents say.

Bavarian Data Protection Authority Issues Paper On Video Surveillance Under General Data Protection Regulation

On 6 July of this year, the Bavarian Data Protection Authority issued a brief guidance paper on video surveillance under the new European Union (EU) General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”). This short paper is the first issue within a series of non-binding guidance papers on selected topics in relation to the GDPR, which the Bavarian Data Protection Authority has planned to publish periodically. This is a significant step forward for EU countries to adopt a more uniformed approach to video surveillance retention policies.