baltimore aerial

Baltimore Approves Six-Month Aerial Surveillance Program To Address Violent Crime

Three private surveillance planes will take images of Baltimore neighborhoods to be used in criminal investigations, an effort that will be studied to see if it lowers the crime rate.

After intense pushback from civil liberties groups, three private surveillance planes were given permission to begin patrols of Baltimore on Wednesday after a 3-2 vote from the city’s Board of Estimates.

The board approved a six-month pilot program contract between the city and Arnold Ventures, a private philanthropy organization based in Texas. Laura and John Arnold will fund the planes, pilots, analysts and hangar space as part of the contract, with the goal of preventing crime by capturing images of 32 square miles of the city for a minimum of 40 hours per week, according to The Baltimore Sun.

In addition, the philanthropists will fund independent research grants to study the impact of the planes on the violent crime rate in Baltimore, which has remained high over the past several years. While Baltimore Police Commissioner Michael Harrison was initially skeptical of the proposal, he said that the company addressed many of his concerns over the past several months.

Planes cannot be used for real-time surveillance of communities, only to look back on events at a certain time and place. No one can be arrested solely based on the planes’ images, and data is only stored for 45 days unless it is needed for a specific investigation, Harrison said. Given these new considerations, Harrison advocated for the adoption of the pilot program last week.

“I fully appreciate that the opponents of this program ... have fundamental and philosophical beliefs against this kind of technology,” Harrison said, according to the Sun. “These differing viewpoints are not solely isolated to this claim and extend to many other tools BPD uses every day.”

Harrison also pointed to local support for the planes, which included an October poll of 500 residents that found a majority generally supported a “program to conduct aerial surveillance over the city of Baltimore to reduce serious crimes like murder.” There has also been increased interest in meetings about the pilot program, which had to be moved online in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, he added.

Opponents pointed to a previous aerial surveillance program run in 2016 that appeared to have little impact on the homicide or violent crime rate. Harrison said that he was not police chief at the time, and that the program took place without coordination with the mayor’s office or the city council.

In addition, the American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland said it was “absurd” for the board to vote on the plan in the middle of the COVID-19, when there have not been opportunities for “meaningful public debate.” Baltimore has been under a statewide stay-at-home order for the past week.

“We’re going to start a study of this technology’s effectiveness when the entire city and state is on mandatory lockdown?” said David Rocah, an ACLU attorney. “Virtually none of the data collected now would be usable.”

The ACLU and other civil liberties groups argue that the planes will disproportionately surveil black and brown communities, and that the program could lead to constitutional rights violations from Baltimore police. Still, the planes are cleared to start flying as early as this month, according to The Baltimore Business Journal.

About the Author

Haley Samsel is an Associate Content Editor for the Infrastructure Solutions Group at 1105 Media.

Featured

  • New Report Reveals Top Trends Transforming Access Controller Technology

    Mercury Security, a provider in access control hardware and open platform solutions, has published its Trends in Access Controllers Report, based on a survey of over 450 security professionals across North America and Europe. The findings highlight the controller’s vital role in a physical access control system (PACS), where the device not only enforces access policies but also connects with readers to verify user credentials—ranging from ID badges to biometrics and mobile identities. With 72% of respondents identifying the controller as a critical or important factor in PACS design, the report underscores how the choice of controller platform has become a strategic decision for today’s security leaders. Read Now

  • Overwhelming Majority of CISOs Anticipate Surge in Cyber Attacks Over the Next Three Years

    An overwhelming 98% of chief information security officers (CISOs) expect a surge in cyber attacks over the next three years as organizations face an increasingly complex and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven digital threat landscape. This is according to new research conducted among 300 CISOs, chief information officers (CIOs), and senior IT professionals by CSC1, the leading provider of enterprise-class domain and domain name system (DNS) security. Read Now

  • ASIS International Introduces New ANSI-Approved Investigations Standard

    • Guard Services
  • Cloud Security Alliance Brings AI-Assisted Auditing to Cloud Computing

    The Cloud Security Alliance (CSA), the world’s leading organization dedicated to defining standards, certifications, and best practices to help ensure a secure cloud computing environment, today introduced an innovative addition to its suite of Security, Trust, Assurance and Risk (STAR) Registry assessments with the launch of Valid-AI-ted, an AI-powered, automated validation system. The new tool provides an automated quality check of assurance information of STAR Level 1 self-assessments using state-of-the-art LLM technology. Read Now

  • Report: Nearly 1 in 5 Healthcare Leaders Say Cyberattacks Have Impacted Patient Care

    Omega Systems, a provider of managed IT and security services, today released new research that reveals the growing impact of cybersecurity challenges on leading healthcare organizations and patient safety. According to the 2025 Healthcare IT Landscape Report, 19% of healthcare leaders say a cyberattack has already disrupted patient care, and more than half (52%) believe a fatal cyber-related incident is inevitable within the next five years. Read Now

New Products

  • PE80 Series

    PE80 Series by SARGENT / ED4000/PED5000 Series by Corbin Russwin

    ASSA ABLOY, a global leader in access solutions, has announced the launch of two next generation exit devices from long-standing leaders in the premium exit device market: the PE80 Series by SARGENT and the PED4000/PED5000 Series by Corbin Russwin. These new exit devices boast industry-first features that are specifically designed to provide enhanced safety, security and convenience, setting new standards for exit solutions. The SARGENT PE80 and Corbin Russwin PED4000/PED5000 Series exit devices are engineered to meet the ever-evolving needs of modern buildings. Featuring the high strength, security and durability that ASSA ABLOY is known for, the new exit devices deliver several innovative, industry-first features in addition to elegant design finishes for every opening.

  • Unified VMS

    AxxonSoft introduces version 2.0 of the Axxon One VMS. The new release features integrations with various physical security systems, making Axxon One a unified VMS. Other enhancements include new AI video analytics and intelligent search functions, hardened cybersecurity, usability and performance improvements, and expanded cloud capabilities

  • Automatic Systems V07

    Automatic Systems V07

    Automatic Systems, an industry-leading manufacturer of pedestrian and vehicle secure entrance control access systems, is pleased to announce the release of its groundbreaking V07 software. The V07 software update is designed specifically to address cybersecurity concerns and will ensure the integrity and confidentiality of Automatic Systems applications. With the new V07 software, updates will be delivered by means of an encrypted file.