Public safety to have access to live school camera feeds during emergencies

GROSSE POINTE FARMS — An agreement between Grosse Pointe Farms and the Grosse Pointe Public School System will give the Farms Department of Public Safety access to live school district camera feeds in the event of an emergency such as a fire or an active shooter.

During a meeting Jan. 12, the Farms City Council voted unanimously in favor of a memorandum of understanding with the school district that would allow the Public Safety Department to access school system cameras in real time during an emergency.

Public Safety Director John Hutchins said that when GPPSS Superintendent Andrea Tuttle was hired, she met with the public safety directors in the Grosse Pointes and Harper Woods. One of the topics that came up, said Hutchins, was camera access — something he said is common across the country.

“It’s a little short of what we would have liked to have seen, but it’s better than what we have now,” Hutchins said of the MOU. “It would help us to pinpoint where the problem is.”

Hutchins said camera access could save lives.

The MOU limits access to live camera feeds only and doesn’t allow law enforcement to download, record, export or continuously monitor school cameras. Facial recognition, biometric identification and analytics technology are forbidden under the agreement. Non-emergency camera access is prohibited as well.

Camera access is limited to a health or safety emergency which, according to the MOU, “must be related to the threat of an actual, impending or imminent emergency, and not merely the threat of a possible or eventual emergency for which the likelihood of occurrence is unknown.” These crises could include a terrorist attack, a shooter or a natural disaster, among other possible dire events. The MOU states that an emergency “shall not include routine surveillance, security surveillance, or minor altercations or disturbances.”

Public safety looking into past crimes or conducting other investigations would need a subpoena, a warrant or written district consent consistent with the state’s Family Education Rights and Privacy Act, better known as FERPA.

The agreement was reviewed by the city attorney before being presented to the council.

“I have no legal objection to it. … We have nothing now, so we’re getting an incremental improvement,” City Attorney William Burgess said.

City Councilman Neil Sroka thanked everyone who worked on the MOU, which he said still protects student privacy while giving public safety access to the cameras when needed.

“There’s lots of important safeguards in here to make sure it’s used (responsibly),” Sroka said.

Mayor John Gillooly said he was in favor of the agreement.

“I appreciate the cooperation of the Grosse Pointe Public School System,” Gillooly said. “I think this will benefit the community as a whole, frankly.”

Farms approval follows approval by the Grosse Pointe Board of Education.