D.C. surveillance cameras worry critics

WASHINGTON, June 16 (UPI) -- Civil libertarians and political opponents say Washington's nearly 4,800 city-owned surveillance cameras are an unwarranted intrusion of privacy.

The nerve center of the District of Columbia's video surveillance program opened last month and Washington Mayor Adrian Fenty says he's trying to set up comprehensive security protection against terrorism but others are worried about the system's lack of political transparency, the Los Angeles Times reported Monday.

Some members of the District of Columbia Council say they weren't made aware of the video system's size and scope and are pushing to slow its implementation. They include Councilman Phil Mendelson, who told the newspaper, "The program was announced without any detail or planning around who would have access, for what purpose, and what would happen with any video or digital archive."

Fenty said he wants to see the system expanded to include video feeds from 5,625 cameras run by eight agencies, including the Metropolitan Police Department, the Times reported, adding that Darrell Darnell, director of the agency that runs the new monitoring center, has told the District of Columbia Council that all policies governing the system have been drafted but are awaiting legal vetting.