This article was published in partnership with The Marshall Project , a nonprofit news organization covering the U.S. criminal justice system. Sign up for their Cleveland newsletter and follow them on Instagram , TikTok , Reddit and Facebook .
As Cleveland spends millions on new license plate readers and surveillance cameras, some residents fear that police officers will soon be able to track their movements.
Activists say police could feed the camera images into facial recognition software to identify people on the street or near crime scenes, leading to discriminatory policing practices, especially in communities of color.
The concerns are amplified after Mayor Justin Bibb’s stalled efforts in creating a technology advisory committee to address privacy and civil rights concerns over how police use the powerful surveillance tools.
Bibb’s pledge to form the committee from City Hall employees came after The Marshall Project – Cleveland reported in September 2022 that the city lagged behind others in sharing policies and details when police deploy powerful digital tools.