Surveillance cameras look after each other, it turns out.
Morristown police used footage from businesses’ video security systems Thursday to arrest a North Plainfield man suspected of damaging a pair of “SafetyStick” license plate readers earlier this month.
The town has launched a 90-day pilot program to test the solar-powered bollards, which resemble periscopes and use radar to detect vehicles illegally parked in crosswalks, intersections and no-parking zones.
Joseph Landry, 33, has been charged with fourth-degree criminal mischief, an indictable offense, for allegedly uprooting SafetySticks from South Street sidewalks near Community Place and Pine Street late last Friday, said Michael Corcoran Jr., Morristown’s public safety director.
Police received numerous tips from the public after posting images from security cameras on social media, he said.
Unlike controversial automatic license plate recognition (ALPR) cameras by Flock, Packetalk and Axon that can be used to track vehicles of suspected criminals — while raising concerns of police stalking and government surveillance — SafetySticks are strictly tools for improving traffic safety, according to Corcoran and Municipal Parking Services.
The Austin, Texas, company claims its product reduces illegal parking by as much as 95 percent.
‘ANOTHER TOOL’
Morristown does not deploy any ALPR cameras, Corcoran said, and New Jersey ended use of red light cameras in 2014. The town is testing 11 SafetySticks along busy South Street, between Pine Street and Community Place. Make that nine Sticks now.
They monitor designated no-parking areas around the clock. When a potential parking violation is detected, the system snaps a photo of the vehicle and records the date, time and location. Police review the data and determine whether to issue parking tickets.
Corcoran said Morristown’s pilot stemmed from a national police conference, after police Chief Darnell Richardson saw the technology at an IACP convention in Dallas a couple of years ago. Amid ongoing complaints about parking and pedestrian safety, Corcoran said, the bureau decided it was time to “pilot something different and see if it works.”
“Our goal is to make these areas safer for everyone by keeping designated no-parking areas clear and encouraging motorists to follow the rules already in place,” Richardson said in a statement.
“This technology gives our officers another tool to identify potential violations, but it is important to emphasize that every violation is reviewed by a member of the Morristown Police Department before any enforcement action is taken,” the chief said.
No tickets have been mailed out yet, Mayor Tim Dougherty said on Wednesday.
“I can tell you a million times that I have called the police and complained when I see a delivery truck parked directly across a crosswalk,” Dougherty said, adding that with a “very robust” public‑awareness campaign he hopes residents will support the program if it proves successful.
‘EASILY ABUSED’
Dover, Rutherford, Linden and Cranford are among Jersey municipalities using SafetySticks, Corcoran said. Morristown has no upfront costs; instead the company takes 40 percent from each $55 ticket, Corcoran said.
There is “a reasonable” grace period before tickets are issued — but Morristown is not disclosing the exact number of minutes so drivers don’t try to game it.
A small group of trained Morristown officers and/or special officers will review the data daily, Corcoran said. If a violation is confirmed, a summons will be mailed to the registered owner of the vehicle.
Privacy advocates say the public should be wary.
“Before any such surveillance technologies are introduced to a community, even on a pilot basis, the community should be informed and have an opportunity to ask questions and raise concerns prior to any deployment,” Jeramie D. Scott, senior counsel and director for the Surveillance Oversight Program at the Electronic Privacy Information Center, said via email.
Surveillance, he continued, “cannot be the default ‘go to’ to try to solve every enforcement issue. That has led us to a growing surveillance infrastructure that undermines our privacy and civil liberties.”
Skepticism is justifiable because “we know how easily this type of technology can be abused and its use cases expanded beyond the original stated purpose.”
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