NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) – Despite numerous arguments against allowing the Metro Nashville Police Department to access security cameras to investigate crime, the Metro Council passed a series of amendments establishing “guardrails” in case the technology gets the green light.
Four amendments were passed on the second reading on Tuesday, March 4.
The amendments further tighten the parameters inside which the MNPD would be required to operate when tapping into a network of cameras, should they be allowed to do so if the bill passes.
The bill in question is BL2025-690, which would amend a section of the Metropolitan Code of Laws pertaining to the use of a community safety camera network. Nashville Police Chief John Drake and Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell support this bill, claiming it would further enhance the police force’s ability to quickly root out crime in the city.
The ordinance was under consideration during the previous city council meeting on February 18, but the meeting was adjourned prematurely for inclement weather. It was picked back up during the March 4 meeting, and the council members voted on amendments to the bill.
Here are the guidelines the council approved that restrict the access law enforcement would have to private camera networks:
- No access to live video from a donor camera if located solely on a residential property.
- No access to residential cameras just showing views of the front door or the entryway, or a family area other than a parking lot, parking garage, or other outdoor common area.
Furthermore, the council passed amendments aimed at accountability for using the security camera network, such as:
- Any video capturing an MNPD employee utilizing excessive or unlawful force will be set aside immediately and sent to the MNPD office of professional accountability and the district attorney general.
- No video from donor cameras can be shared with any individual, group, or entity for any purpose outside of an active investigation.
- No facial recognition technology can be used to identify individuals.
- Each officer utilizing a camera is required to document the access, including date, time, circumstance, and a narrative detailing the purpose.
- An audit will performed each quarter detailing each time cameras were accessed, the purpose, and outcomes.
- MNPD will report to the Metro Council once a year (no later than September 1) and publish on its website the number of cameras registered in the network
A previous version of the bill was voted down last December and Mayor O’Connell was vocal in his disappointment.
“Over the course of the discussion about this technology, we heard concerns from the community and worked to strengthen the guardrails that prohibit its misuse,” the mayor said. “Passage of this legislation would have allowed Metro Police to do their jobs more efficiently and effectively and keep Nashvillians – particularly those in vulnerable communities – safe.”
Detractors say it will open the door for law enforcement to abuse the technology, despite having guardrails in place. The council meetings have seen a long line of residents eager to speak against this type of legislation.
One man spoke during the public comment period of Tuesday’s meeting and expressed his concern that police will target him as a member of the “queer trans” community in Nashville.
“DHS just changed their surveillance to include gender identity, which means they can utilize this FUSUS to target people like me, as well as people in my community,” Josie McCall claimed. “Guardrails aren’t gonna save us…this won’t protect anyone, it will target marginalized communities…I can be tracked as a person. My medical care. Where I go. The people I hang out with. These are all fears that a lot of us have in our marginalized communities.”
Overall, the Metro Council continues to move ordinance BL2025-690 forward. Once the council is finished amending the bill, it will require a vote to approve the third reading before law enforcement is granted access to Nashville’s security camera network.
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