Policing, Surveillance, and False Promises of Safety

“Ineffective technology and police violence is only a symptom of a larger problem of politicians claiming that these are what the average citizen needs to feel safe, rather than addressing the root causes that can produce real safety.”

fare evastion

Diane Bondareff/Mayoral Photo Office

A police officer in the subway system in 2022.

New surveillance technology and increased policing has been hailed as the beacon of hope for citizens who have been convinced that they are unsafe in the streets of many of our major cities. Last month, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced that she will be sending 250 more troops from the National Guard in New York City’s subway and that every subway car is now equipped with surveillance cameras. And during his State of the City speech Thursday, Mayor Eric Adams said he’ll be deploying even more police officers to the transit system later this month.

Sensationalized narratives of harm in the media mislead the public about instances of violence and politicians too often capitalize on these moments to posit the penal system and increased surveillance as the solution to public fear. Yet, recent data on crime and the failures of surveillance systems unveil a different reality. Last month, a report from Brooklyn Defender Services uncovered the failure of the city’s $54 million gunshot detection technology, SpotShotter. Their five year investigation found that the technology was not only inaccurate at detection, but it also increased surveillance of Black and Latine New Yorkers.

Ineffective technology and police violence is only a symptom of a larger problem of politicians claiming that these are what the average citizen needs to feel safe, rather than addressing the root causes that can produce real safety.