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Snoopy software has council foe
By ANGELA MOORE
© St. Petersburg Times, TAMPA -- Until Tuesday, only national politicians had spoken out against the Tampa Police Department's use of facial recognition software in surveillance cameras in Ybor City. Since Friday, the software has been used to scan crowds and attempt to match faces with those of wanted criminals and convicted sex offenders stored in its database. The American Civil Liberties Union and other organizations object to using the software on constitutional grounds. The liberals are joined by conservatives like House Majority Leader Dick Armey, R-Texas, and an anti-gun-control lobby, the Law Enforcement Alliance of America. On Tuesday, a local conservative politician added her voice to the opposition in an interview on MSNBC. Tampa City Council member Rose Ferlita told the nation she didn't think residents should have to give up privacy for security. "I haven't changed my position," Ferlita said later. "I'm very pro-police, that's no secret. . . . I still feel the same way about regular, everyday surveillance cameras. But this next level is overpowering. It's very intrusive into the lives of the society we're supposed to protect." Since the software will be used on a trial basis for the next year, Ferlita and the other six City Council members don't have much recourse. Should the $30,000 system be requested by the Tampa Police Department in the budget next year, however, the City Council could refuse. Although council member Shawn Harrison said he shares some of Ferlita's fears about the constitutionality of the software, he thinks Tampa police should be given time to test the equipment and decide if it works. "I'm taking a wait-and-see view," Harrison said. "I have no problem trying it out." Recent coverageYbor's eyes an invasion, U.S House leader says (July 3, 2001)
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