BALTIMORE (AP) - Baltimore police had threatened to end an aerial surveillance program because of what they said were “serious breaches of confidentiality” by the company that operates the private spy planes.
The Baltimore Sun reported Wednesday that police had aired their concerns in an email to the company that have been obtained by the newspaper.
The email criticizing the company, Persistent Surveillance Systems, was sent under Baltimore’s previous mayor, Bernard C. “Jack” Young. The Democrat’s administration had authorized the pilot program.
The email reveals for the first time Baltimore officials’ frustration with the company over the sharing of “unverified statistics concerning (the program’s) efficacy as a tool to combat violent crime.”
The email from Baltimore police followed last fall’s conclusion of a pilot program to study whether the planes could help lower violent crime. The program has faced legal challenges from the American Civil Liberties Union and lacks the support Baltimore’s new Democratic mayor.
Mayor Brandon Scott has noted that the planes do not fly at night. He said this week that Baltimore “would find it very hard to have a reason to continue it.”
The company and Baltimore police did not respond to the Sun’s requests for comment.
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