WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) – With a unanimous vote at Tuesday’s city council meeting, Wilmington police are set to install a new security camera system across the city.
The system, called “Fusus Enterprise System,” is already used in other cities in North Carolina such as Raleigh, Rocky Mount and Winston-Salem. The system compiles security camera video from homes and businesses into one convenient hub, giving police quicker access to video feeds of a crime scene.
“It’s going to make investigations more efficient,” Captain Rodney Dawson with the Wilmington Police Department said.
With the new system, they’re also hoping to expand access to new security video feeds around the city. This means getting homeowners and businessowners to sign up with the system, so they can access their security camera feeds.
“We would love for as many cameras as possible,” Captain Dawson said. “However, you know, we put that decision in the hands of businesses and homeowners.”
Wilmington police say they’re aware that the Fusus system has created controversy in other cities it’s been implemented in. Many have raised concerns over privacy. Captain Dawson said the department can’t access any feeds though without the camera owners’ permission.
“None of this is is going to be something that we have the ability to tap into anyone’s camera without their permission or approval, and citizens and businesses will have the ability to determine when and how and if they give us access to that. If someone gives us access to their cameras today and tomorrow they decide they don’t want to have it, then they can they can disconnect that or discontinue that access,” Captain Dawson said. “Something we certainly considered is do the privacy concerns outweigh the benefits for this? The last thing we want is to invade someone’s privacy.”
Homeowners and business owners who sign up with the system can do so in one of three main tiers.
- The first tier would grant WPD access to security video feeds 24/7.
- The second tier would grant WPD access to security video feeds if and only if the owners pressed a panic button on an app provided by Fusus.
- The third tier would have camera owners sign up for a security camera registry, so if a crime were to occur near them, police could contact them to request that they share the video.
Councilman Kevin Spears also raised concerns about who will have access to the video feeds, wondering what the potential consequences could be if an officer with bad intentions had unlimited access to the software.
“This type of innovation or technology in the wrong hands, it can be used outside of its intent,” Spears said.
That’s a possibility the Wilmington Police Department has already considered, which is why they’re putting safeguards in place to ensure it doesn’t happen.
“We will have a very strict policy on who will have access to this system,” Captain Dawson said. “When you do a search in this there’s an audit trail.”
The Fusus software also uses artificial intelligence to spot identifiers in a potential crime. For example, the software could scan video feeds for white cars if a white car was identified as being a suspect’s vehicle. WPD says they are being careful with this piece of technology, though.
“It’s just a another piece of the puzzle. We would not last solely on that artificial intelligence to make any kind of determination to charge someone or arrest someone with a crime,” Captain Dawson said. “It is something that we need to be aware of, that artificial intelligence has its limitations. As long as we are cognizant of that I’m not concerned with that.”
WPD says they will start the rollout of the new system as soon as the city signs a contract, which should happen in a matter of weeks. After that, they will let camera owners know how they can sign up within the system.
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