ACLU Calls Surveillance Plane Over Baltimore 'A Privacy Nightmare'
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) said Wednesday that a surveillance plane over Baltimore would be, "a privacy nightmare come to life."
The ACLU released the following statement:
"The ACLU of Maryland is committed to protecting and preserving the privacy rights of everyone in our state. Surveillance technology designed for a military battlefield has no place in American cities. Baltimore is not a battlefield, and its residents are not the enemy. We have been vocal, clear, and consistent on this matter -- spy planes should never be used under the guise of public safety."
"The spy plane program is a privacy nightmare come to life. It's the equivalent of requiring residents to wear a GPS tracker whenever they leave their homes. A city with a terrible history of racism and lack of accountability for abuses by police should be the last place a secret program of mass surveillance is used. An entrepreneur's desire to make more money should not outweigh the privacy rights of the entire population of Baltimore or any community."
The plan to have a surveillance plane over Baltimore has been pitched as a way to fight crime.
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Baltimore Police Commissioner Michael Harrison said that he will not support flying a surveillance plane over the city.
