Surveillance

The aldermen also approved regulations on police surveillance.

The rules say commercial operators must have a federal pilot’s license and a business license. There are also restrictions on where they can fly. SMS Novel, a company based in the Washington, D.C., area, wanted to fly drones in the Gravois Park neighborhood to enhance public safety.

Mayor Tishaura Jones said she signed the order to allow the Board of Aldermen to move forward on legislation reauthorizing the use of red-light and speed cameras in the city.

Residents of Gravois Park have opposed a Washington, D.C., film company's plan to use drones to conduct surveillance in their neighborhood. The company’s owner said he'd use the footage to prevent crime. Residents turned to the City of St. Louis to stop the plan.

Mayor Tishaura Jones stresses importance of looking at racial equity in surveillance programs.

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.

Persistence Surveillance Systems originally developed its technology for military use and now hopes to bring it to St. Louis to lower the city's crime rate. The company has been running a pilot program in Baltimore — in conjunction with the city's police department — since April. Baltimore journalist Joanne Cavanaugh Simpson discusses the results of the trial run and how residents feel about the new technology.

This summer, the St. Louis region made national news after more than 15 children were killed by gun violence in four months, leaving city leaders…

St. Louis aldermen will try again this year to develop policies that control the use of surveillance technology in the city. A committee could vote this…