(TNS) \u2014 A swath of upgraded security cameras have been popping up on streetlamps and other locations across Glens Falls; the company boasts \u201cnext-level video surveillance,\u201d but city officials say that\u2019s the farthest thing from their intent.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot only are we not using these for any of the AI capabilities, I don\u2019t even think those capabilities came up,\u201d said Glens Falls Mayor Bill Collins in a recent interview with The Post-Star.<\/p>\n
The cameras are part of an infrastructure upgrade, which Collins said has been a focal point for his administration.<\/p>\n
\u201cNormally when people say, \u2018infrastructure,\u2019 they\u2019re thinking water and sewer infrastructure and they only think of that,\u201d he said. \u201cI consider technology as being part of infrastructure.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m the first mayor to buy a laptop in the City of Glens Falls,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
For Collins, upgrading the cities technology is paramount to keeping it a safe and desirable place to live. He cited the area being included in the annual report from Rocket Mortgage as one of the safest cities in the country, but said that doesn\u2019t mean the city is without safety concerns. The upgraded cameras began rolling out in phases last year. According to a FAQ page posted by the city, so far there are 60 \u201cSky\/SiteShield\u201c units, each equipped with two cameras located around City Hall and various city parks. The \u201cSkye\/SiteShield\u201d units require an outside power source, so are connected to light poles from which they can draw power. There are also nine \u201cSolarShield\u201c units with two cameras each. These units are equipped with solar arrays and can be relocated to other problem areas as officials see the need. Eighteen more \u201cSolarShield\u201d units and three more \u201cSky\/SightShield\u201d units are scheduled to be installed in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n
Each \u201cSky\/SiteShield\u201d costs $4,482, while each \u201cSolarShield\u201d costs $6,032. They were paid for out of ARPA funding.<\/p>\n
The new cameras are supported by Turing Advanced AI software, which claims the capability to recognize people, objects and activities, differentiating between potential threats and harmless activities and can reportedly identify objects or people even when they are partially obscured or appear differently from one camera angle to another. Collins said those features were never, and are not currently being explored.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re not plugging into it,\u201d Collins said. \u201cThis is not going out to some national database, it\u2019s just not. We never even discussed it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Instead, Collins said, the cameras are an investigation tool for the Glens Falls Police Department. The GFPD records and retains the footage from the cameras for 30 days so that it can be reviewed if a crime is reported. The upgrades are meant to enhance the PD\u2019s ability to cover more of the city. For Collins, the advanced AI capabilities are a consequence of the time, not a particular selling point.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t believe that they make cameras that are a dummied-down version. But also, if you\u2019re investing [in safety] you want to do it right,\u201d Collins said. \u201cYou don\u2019t want to buy second-grade technology. Let\u2019s not be afraid of AI, let\u2019s understand it. I\u2019m told it can be useful in government; nothing like [facial recognition and predictive activity monitoring], we haven\u2019t had those conversations.\u201d<\/p>\n
Some of the cameras will be used to combat speeding throughout the city. The new advanced system will allow officers to set up cameras in areas where traffic violations frequently occur. One such camera is currently being tested on the city\u2019s mobile speed reader.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just like the camera that we currently have but it also will read your plate, and it will allow us to issue a ticket,\u201d Collins explained, adding that any new policy wouldn\u2019t go into effect without proper public notice and discussion.<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing happens in this government, that I\u2019ve seen in the four years [as mayor] or the eight years before hand, without it being publicly noticed,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Once the new system has been tested, a report will go before the board of public safety to discuss recommendations for a new ordinance codifying its use. Those recommendations will then go to the Common Council for review. Collins said the camera is triggered when it detects a vehicle moving at a predetermined mileage above the posted speed limit. It alerts the GFPD with details about the car, its license plate, and how fast it was moving. It would then be left to the police department to issue a public safety violation, which would be sent to the owner of the vehicle, not necessarily the individual driving it.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople, I think, will applaud it,\u201d Collins said. \u201cThe entire time I\u2019ve been in office people come in and are screaming, \u2018they\u2019re going too fast, they\u2019re going too fast.\u2019 We are addressing it\u2019s as best we can, but this will allow us to address it in a better way.\u201d<\/p>\n
Collins said at a New York Conference of Mayors meeting in 2022, he heard from two communities that had implemented similar technology with staggering results.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey said it was reducing their speeding by like, 94%,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Still, for those leery to know that AI capable cameras are being trained on the public spaces of the city, Collins offers some words of consideration.<\/p>\n
\u201cI certainly am an old hippie, I\u2019m with them,\u201d he said. \u201cI would tell them not to be afraid of their local government, to pay attention to their local government.<\/p>\n
\u201cCome to our meetings and participate, we\u2019d love to hear your concerns,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
The Glens Falls Board of Public Safety meets at 4 p.m., on the second Wednesday of each month on the second floor of City Hall, located at 42 Ridge Street in Glens Falls.<\/p>\n
The Common Council meets at 7:30 p.m. on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month. Meetings are currently being held at the newly constructed \u201cED Center,\u201d located at 57 South St. in Glens Falls, while construction takes place at City Hall.<\/p>\n