Baltimore City Police Surveillance Plane Sparks Outrage

Baltimore (WJZ) -- Fallout over Baltimore's powerful aerial surveillance system has people questioning it's legality.

Police are under fire after failing to tell the public about a surveillance plane that's been flying over Baltimore and recording the activity of thousands of citizens.

Assistant public defender, Daniel Kobrin has serious questions about the privately funded, undisclosed, surveillance program that police insist was not a secret.

For months, a small plane with powerful cameras took hundreds of hours of video over many parts of the city.

It's believed to be the largest use of extensive monitoring in American history, drawing more national attention to the policing tactics in Baltimore.

"Without a warrant, without any judicial oversight, no we should not be using this" says Kobrin.

Advocates say not only is it legal, but it's an important tool to fight Baltimore crime. They say the only people who have anything to worry about are criminals.

"What are they using it for? How long are they holding it? Who has access to it?" asks University of Dayton's professor Joel Pruce "All these questions were simply unanswered."

Pruce protested vigorously against the same surveillance program where he lives in Dayton, Ohio.

"Police said this is not a secret surveillance program. It is very clearly a secret surveillance program." says Pruce, "I completely understand the outrage of the citizens of Baltimore."

The billionaire Texas philanthropists, Laura and John Arnold, quietly funded the program in Baltimore. They insist the motives are above the board.

In statement to WJZ they say, "As a society, we should seek to understand whether these technologies yield significant benefits, while carefully weighing any such benefits against corresponding trade offs to privacy."

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