Section 24-2508. USE OF CCTV TO COMBAT CRIME

 

2508.1The Chief of Police is authorized to use the CCTV system for the purpose of preventing, detecting, deterring, and investigating crime in neighborhoods in the District of Columbia.

 

2508.2The Chief of Police shall, at a minimum, consider the following factors prior to using the CCTV system to combat crime:

 

(a)The number and type of calls for service in the proposed CCTV camera location;

 

(b)Any crimes that were committed in the proposed CCTV camera location; and

 

(c)A request or recommendation made by the Advisory Neighborhood Commission, or a civic or citizen association; and

 

(d)Any other objectively verifiable information from which the Chief of Police may ascertain whether the health, safety, or property of residents who live in the proposed CCTV location are endangered by crime or other illegal activity.

 

2508.3The Chief of Police shall have the final authority to decide where to place a CCTV camera or CCTV cameras for crime-fighting purposes, although the Chief of Police shall be required to give consideration to locating cameras within public housing developments in Hot Spot Areas.

 

2508.4When CCTV is used to combat crime, recordings may be passively monitored, meaning that the video feeds may not be monitored in real time, and recordings may be viewed by MPD personnel where there is reason to believe that the viewing may help solve a crime.

 

2508.5The Chief of Police shall consult with the relevant Councilmember and the relevant ANC Commissioner prior to deploying CCTV cameras to combat crime. An ANC, or a civic or citizen association, upon determination of need, may submit a request to the Chief of Police that a CCTV camera be placed in its neighborhood.

 

2508.6On or before February 15, 2008, the Chief of Police shall report to the Mayor and to the Council on the cameras' effectiveness at preventing, detecting, and solving crime since their installation. The report shall also evaluate whether the presence of cameras served to displace criminal activity. The effectiveness of the cameras shall be evaluated using, but not limited to, the following factors:

 

(a)The rate of crime in the specific area in which a surveillance camera is located from the date of the camera's installation until January 1,2008, compared with the rate of crime in the same PSA within the previous 2 years;

 

(b)The number of calls for service, including calls for service for public disorder, drug activity, and prostitution, in the specific area in which a surveillance camera is located from the date of the camera's installation until January 1,2008, compared with the number of calls for service in the same PSA within the previous 2 years;

 

(c)The same information in paragraphs (a) and (b) of this subsection in the PSAs that surround the PSA in which the specific area is located, for the purpose of measuring any potential displacement of crime caused by the deployment of the Closed Circuit Television Cameras in the specific areas;

 

(d)General crime trends in the specific area within a PSA in which a surveillance camera is located, the PSAs surrounding the specific areas, the specific areas' police districts, and the District of Columbia, within the previous 4 years;

 

(e)The number of crimes in the specific areas detected and reported to the Metropolitan Police Department because of the presence of the video surveillance cameras; and

 

(f)The number of crime investigations aided by the Closed Circuit Television Cameras, and a description in each case of how the camera was helpful to the investigation, during the period July 19,2006 to January 1, 2008.

 

2508.7The report due February 15, 2008 shall also state the Metropolitan Police Department's long-term plan for the use of CCTV cameras to combat crime, including:

 

(a)Changes to the program, if any;

 

(b)Ultimate number of cameras to be installed;

 

(c)How CCTV cameras will be integrated with other crime-fighting measures; and

 

(d)Estimated fiscal impact of the long-range CCTV plan.

 

 

authority

Unless otherwise noted, that authority for this chapter is Section 2(a) of the Metropolitan Police Department Video Surveillance Regulations Temporary Act of 2002, effective June 25, 2002 (D.C. Law 14-158), and Title I of the District of Columbia Administrative Procedure Act, approved October 21, 1968 (82 Stat. 1204; D.C. Official Code §§ 2-501 et seq. ).

source

The Use of Closed Circuit Television to Combat Crime Amendment of 2006, effective March 14, 2007 (D.C. Law 16-284; 54 DCR 938 (February 2, 2007)).