Portland city council rejects police surveillance cameras in Old Town

PORTLAND, Ore. – It’s back to the drawing board for a controversial ordinance that would have allowed the Portland Police Bureau to install surveillance cameras on private businesses in Old Town.

Police chief Mike Reese was at the city council meeting on Wednesday when council members rejected the ordinance, according to Sgt. Pete Simpson, Portland Police Bureau spokesman.

Police have said the cameras are needed in Old Town because it’s a high crime area, especially at night. They said those crimes mostly consist of drug deals, but there have also been shootings and other violent crimes.

Commissioner Dan Saltzman was concerned about whether the ordinance would violate privacy laws. According to Salzman’s chief of staff, Brendan Finn, the commissioner wanted to make sure that people’s rights were protected.

“The commissioner won’t support the ordinance unless there is a policy in place prohibiting the misuse of the cameras,” Finn said.

This is a concern shared by The American Civil Liberties Union, which has come out against the cameras, saying they could be abused and violate personal privacy rights.

The ordinance currently reads that private businesses could enter into a contract with the city to have cameras installed at no cost. Police officers could then access the cameras at any time through their smart phones.

Simpson said the next step is for the police bureau to modify the ordinance’s language to address the issue. After that, it will go back to the city council for another vote.