The Lakeland Downtown Development Authority uses its newly installed security cameras to track “people of interest” as they travel along the city’s downtown streets.
Note – LDDA has the contract with Verkade, not the Lakeland Police Dept.
Tony Davila, LDDA’s clean and safe manager, told LDDA’s board of directors that he has uploaded photos of various people into Verkade’s software for the 14 security cameras being installed on Downtown Lakeland buildings. The cameras have facial recognition software to detect and record when those individuals move through a camera’s field.
According to LDDA, LDDA staff members and Lakeland police officers will receive alerts whenever one of these “people of interest” is spotted in the city’s downtown area, according to Davila.
LDDA staff members, the police department, the city’s parking staff, and building owners or managers have been provided with logins to access the cameras’ video footage.
LDDA’s directors were able to access the cameras’ software using computers and a mobile app on Thursday morning to see the list of people being tracked by LDDA.
Is the LDDA overreaching???? It could be used for racial profiling????
There was NO public mention, at that time, of Verkada’s security cameras being equipped with facial recognition software and tracking.
The 14 cameras, once fully installed, will provide limited video surveillance of Downtown Lakeland from East Lemon Street as far north as East Bay Street, areas from Missouri Avenue to Massachusetts Avenue.