Oklahoma City councilwoman raises concerns over police access to school cameras
Police gaining access to school security cameras. Why one city leader says the plan is causing concerns. Oklahoma City Councilwoman JoBeth Hamon has voiced concerns over the city's decision to allow police to monitor school camera feeds. She expressed concern over the lack of transparency at the Real Time Information Center and suggested that the police department should have immediate access to school security cameras during an emergency. The plan was approved through a 5-3 vote, with Hamon voting against it. Police Chief Wade Gourley said school districts like Oklahoma City Public Schools, Mid-Del, Moore, Mustang and Yukon Public Schools have expressed interest in this idea.
Published : 4 weeks ago by https://www.facebook.com/foxokc, David Chasanov in
An Oklahoma City leader is sharing her concerns after council voted to allow police to monitor school camera feeds. In a follow-up to a story we first brought you Tuesday, Fox 25 spoke with Councilwoman JoBeth Hamon.
Hamon says the plan makes her have privacy concerns for students.
"I'm a little bit frustrated at sort of the lack of transparency I think in general at the Real Time Information Center."
Hamon says she wasn't given much notice about Tuesday's amendment.
"We didn't find out about it until it was put on the agenda on Friday. There was no presentation scheduled about it, and it just seems like a pretty big deal."
The plan in question: allowing the Oklahoma City Police Department to access school security cameras via an increase in the city's contract with Fusus, a company contracted with OKCPD for its Real Time Information Center, for $90,000.
"It's public money, and it seems like it should be held up to scrutiny, especially when the information about how and when it will be used is fairly opaque."
Police Chief Wade Gourley says officers want to have immediate access to school security cameras during an emergency.
Through a 5-3 vote, city leaders approved the measure. Hamon voted against it.
"A lot of my concern comes from how and can this kind of access to these video feeds be used against students. If it is accessed inappropriately, how that will be dealt with and accountability for those sorts of things?"
She says the city is spending a lot of money on reacting to problems instead of addressing them.
"Now we have all these extra tools of surveilling young people potentially, but we're still not really doing much to help them actually feel safe in their schools."
Hamon says she's going to work on how to educate people about this amendment.
Gourley says school districts like Oklahoma City Public Schools, Mid-Del, Moore, Mustang and Yukon Public Schools want this to happen.
Oklahoma City Public Schools released the following statement to Fox 25:
Mid-Del Schools spokeswoman Stacey Boyer shared the following statement with Fox 25:
Despite Gourley saying Yukon Public Schools is interested in the idea, YPS spokeswoman Kayla Agnitsch shared this response with Fox 25: