Smyrna Establishes Public Safety Technology Task Force to Review Surveillance Tools
The City of Smyrna, Georgia, is forming a new Public Safety Technology Task Force to oversee and review the city's use of surveillance technologies. The city council recently approved the creation of this eight-member group, which will be responsible for examining how Smyrna utilizes automated license-plate readers, public safety cameras, and drones. The task force will specifically look into technologies provided by companies like Flock Safety. Its mandate includes evaluating the public safety benefits and effectiveness of these tools, as well as scrutinizing the city's policies and practices concerning privacy, data access and retention, information sharing, cybersecurity, auditing, and accountability. The task force will also gather input from residents and serve in an advisory capacity, making policy recommendations and proposing safeguards to the Mayor and Smyrna City Council. However, not all uses of these technologies by the Smyrna Police Department will fall under the task force's review, and it wi...
