Project
Newark Surveillance
Role
Video Editor
Description
Anyone can see what’s going on in Newark, New Jersey. Using the Citizen Virtual Patrol, the public has 24/7 access to the city’s growing network of surveillance cameras. Officials say it’s part of an effort to reduce crime and restore community trust in the police. Opponents say the system leaves room for civil rights abuse and privacy violations.
The Newark Department of Public Safety is planning to expand the surveillance system throughout the city — adding more than 30 cameras by the end of the year and counting.
“It’s sending a message to the world that people of color need to be watched,” said Amol Sinha, executive director of the ACLU-NJ.
“You have a camera system that’s concentrated in Black and brown communities, but anybody can look at it,” said Faiza Patel, co-director of the Liberty & National Security program at the Brennan Center for Justice.
The NPD has been placed under a consent decree and an independent monitor in order to address issues of racial profiling and excessive force.
