Perisistent Surveillance Systems

A contract with Ohio-based Persistent Surveillance Systems got first-round approval Friday by a 15-14 vote amid concerns about civil liberties and whether the actions of the aldermen were legal. It still needs one more vote to get to Mayor Lyda Krewson’s desk.

Last Friday, the St. Louis Board of Aldermen was prepared to vote on a plan that would have compelled the mayor’s office to contract with Persistent Surveillance Systems, an Ohio company that hopes to use planes equipped with high-resolution cameras to monitor the city in a bid to solve violent crimes. Alderwoman Annie Rice of the 8th Ward discusses what’s next for that proposal, as well as a plan she introduced that would provide some oversight to surveillance used by the city and its police department.

The board’s public safety committee voted 6-1 Tuesday to endorse a three-year contract with Ohio-based Persistent Surveillance Systems. The company’s planes fly at low altitude taking photos of the city, which investigators can use to track the movement of people or cars leaving the scene of crimes. That information can be paired with ground-level cameras to identify witnesses or suspects.

The St. Louis Board of Aldermen is overwhelmingly on record as supporting a plan to close the north city jail known as the Workhouse.A bill requiring the…

Dayton, Ohio-based Persistent Surveillance Systems developed its aerial surveillance system to help the military in Fallujah. The company’s CEO, Ross…