The city of Baltimore is to be monitored by surveillance airplanes for up to six months next year under a pilot program announced on Friday that is aimed at helping law enforcement investigate violent crime and that would effectively restart a tactic secretively used three years ago.
The flights, which civil liberties groups oppose, are to start in May and gather footage during the hours when the city experiences high rates of crime.
The announcement marks a reversal for Baltimore Police Commissioner Michael Harrison, who previously expressed skepticism over the use of the planes and described the idea as an “untested” crime-fighting strategy.
“We will be the first American city to use this technology in an attempt to solve and deter violent crime,” Harrison told a news conference.
He said he believes they could prove to be “yet another tool” to fight the violence plaguing the city.
The three planes would fly simultaneously, covering about 90 percent of the city, Baltimore police spokesman Matt Jablow said.
The resolution of the footage would not be sharp enough for officers to identify faces, but should help them track movement and action.
The testing would align with the city’s historically most violent months and would be focused on homicides, shootings and robberies, including carjackings.
Harrison said police would not have access to live feeds, and instead, officers would receive “evidence packages” of specific crimes that have already being reported.
Footage from the pilot program would not be used in cases of police misconduct.
Baltimore is experiencing one of its most violent years on record, with more than 330 homicides so far, up from 309 total last year.
The city has also seen more than 1,310 armed and unarmed commercial robberies and carjackings. It wrapped up last year with 1,361 of those cases.
Harrison acknowledged the controversial history of the planes and promised a series of public meetings to inform the community “on how the program will and will not be used going forward.”
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