EASTHAMPTON — In the wake of vandalism to the Municipal Building in May, the city is installing a new security system to increase protection of the 50 Payson Ave. building.
The system will consist of a license plate reader (LPR), and several cameras installed on the interior and exterior of the building. Currently, most of the cameras have been installed, with the LPR to follow shortly.
The vandalism occurred at approximately 1 a.m. on May 15. Officers were dispatched to 50 Payson Ave. following reports of a man yelling and causing a disturbance. Upon arrival, officers found damage to the entrances of the building, categorized as a felony and misdemeanor.
The glass-entrance door was cracked with spider cracks throughout the pane, and the elevator entrance glass door was “completely damaged” with glass scattered on the ground, according to a report written by Officer Matthew Halket.
In the wake of the vandalism, former Mayor Nicole LaChapelle began plans for installing the new security system, now taken over by interim Mayor Salem Derby after LaChapelle resigned in mid-July. Plans to install the system were well underway before the vandalism, since the Municipal Building had been lacking a formal security system. In December of last year, LaChapelle signed a contract worth approximately $100,000 with parent company Axis Communications.
“Before, City Hall was woefully under-secure,” said Derby. “At this point, with the prevalence of video everywhere, it made a lot of sense to be able to have a record of what’s going on around the building for employee safety and for the safety of people in Easthampton. If we have people coming in to do harm and vandalize, which could take many different forms, we want to hold people accountable.”
Derby announced the decision to the public as part of his first mayoral update at a City Council meeting on Aug. 6. He informed the council of the decision, showing the policy for the security system that will be managed by the city’s Information Technology (IT) Department. Derby emphasized the necessity of being transparent with the council and community about the installation of the system and how it will be used.
“I wanted to be as transparent and clear as possible that we understand the importance of protecting people’s privacy and we wanted to make sure that this information is held in a way that’s not going to make vulnerable communities in Easthampton feel that they’re being surveilled,” Derby said in an interview with the Gazette.
Derby met with director of the IT Department, Karin Camihort, to create a policy for the upcoming security system. All associated footage will be stored by the IT Department, which is responsible for the deployment, operation and maintenance of the system. The policy will be continuously reviewed in the future.
“I felt like that was an important piece of this process because I wasn’t comfortable installing one that was going to be accessible to whoever wanted this information,” Derby said at the meeting. “I wanted to make sure that this information was safeguarded in a way where we felt like we had control over it.”
The LPR will be placed at the intersection of Payson Avenue, Union Street and Cottage Street. The exterior cameras along with the LPR will have visibility to the two entrances to the Municipal Building. Additionally, the system will have narrow sight lines to the main section of the boardwalk on Nashawannuck Pond.
“If the cameras were intended to address the security of the building, why were they stuck at the intersection?” questioned City Councilor At-Large Koni Denham.
Derby noted that the parent company felt the intersection would be the most appropriate place for the LPR to cover the most security for the building.
“This technology, if it’s used properly, can be used in a way that is very helpful to law enforcement to solve crimes,” Derby said at the meeting.
The policy states, “Access to footage is restricted to authorized personnel within the City Technology Department.” Videos may be released within city government to Easthampton Police, Fire or other authorized public safety personnel for official use upon formal request. Those requests must include the purpose, date, time and location of interest, and will be logged by the IT Department for accountability.
At the meeting, City Councilor At-Large Brad Riley raised concerns about who will have access to the footage.
“Could somebody here in the community who is sympathetic to ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] and wanting to torment our residents of color and from different cultures, just overload our FOIA request process to get access to license plates?” Riley questioned.
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) public records requests can be made for the footage from the LPR, however, the policy enforces that footage will be withheld or redacted in accordance with state law to protect personal privacy, public safety or the integrity of ongoing investigations.
In the summer of 2019, the city adopted the Welcoming City Trust Ordinance that restricts public officials from inquiring about a person’s immigration status except as required by law, detain a person on the basis of an ICE detainer or ICE administrative warrant, provide ICE with certain personal information about people in department custody such as their home address, or perform the functions of an immigration official.
City Councilor At-Large Peg Conniff added that while the ordinance does not allow city officials use of the footage to inquire about immigration status, it is important for FOIA requests to redact any information that could compromise someone’s personal safety.
Derby responded, reassuring Conniff that FOIA requests cannot identify individuals on security footage to protect personal safety, using public schools cameras as an example.
City Councilor Felicia Jadczak questioned the duration footage will be stored for in the IT Department. Derby said the system will store footage for a minimum of 90 days, but will automatically delete footage after a certain period of time.
“The most important thing is that we are conscious of people’s privacy concerns and of the climate that’s around surveillance enforcement,” Derby said in an interview with the Gazette. “We want to be fully mindful and respectful of that.”
Derby noted an LPR is not an uncommon piece of technology in the area, referencing Chicopee that he said has several LPRs installed around the city.
Other LPRs in the city
According to Easthampton Police Chief Chad Alexander, the only other LPR in Easthampton managed by the city is located on Holyoke Street at the top of Mount Tom, capturing vehicles leaving the city. Footage from this LPR is managed by Easthampton Police where all footage captured is stored. This LPR is managed by Flock Safety company, which has no affiliation to the LPR to be installed at the Municipal Building.
“We have no interest in sharing [footage] with other people,” Alexander said.
The Police Department has access to a “mobile LPR” that they can place in the city at areas of high criminal activity. Although, Alexander said it is rarely used and the department is considering returning that device to the parent company to get money back.
“If we are having break-ins in a certain area of town,” Alexander explained, “we can deploy it out there somewhere.”