Columbia City Council votes down FUSUS program allowing police access to private security cameras

Following a marathon public comment period, an appropriation for the Columbia Police Department to purchase FUSUS security camera access software was voted down by the Columbia City Council.

The deciding 'No' vote came from Fourth Ward Council Member Nick Foster, who prior to voting had seemed poised to vote in favor.

"I hear the concerns people have about how this will impact people of color and others that are marginalized. At the same time, I have come to the conclusion I would feel good with having this put into place," he said prior to voting.

Nearly 50 Columbia residents spoke during the roughly two-hour public comment period. Nearly 20 comments were for adoption, while about 30 were against.

Previously:Columbia police hold public input meeting on FUSUS policy. City Council vote is next

Because the appropriation bill failed, a resolution adopting the software was withdrawn. One topic that came up during public comment was the suggestion of community control over police surveillance, or CCOPS, by Sharon Geuea Jones, a Columbia attorney and lobbyist focused on civil and criminal justice issues at the statewide level.

Geuea Jones expressed concern over potential future changes to a policy adopted by the department.

"I would like to propose an alternative. ... We would be able to put safeguards at the ordinance level over how (video) data is used, over when and how police can do live surveillance, can access residential cameras, when AI recognition could be used," she said. "Those safeguards would allow us to both meet the needs of safety of our community, allowing police to get post-incident camera footage more quickly, but not invade our privacy rights or abuse the system.

"Putting it in ordinance means any violation is a violation of law and not merely a police internal policy. And therefore, more enforceable as a standard."

This idea was taken up by the council, which through a motion from Second Ward Council Member Andrea Waner, was approved for the city to start researching to come back to the council with a CCOPS ordinance.

The possible adoption of FUSUS is not completely dead. Following the CCOPS ordinance process, which could take a few months, the Columbia Police Department could take another opportunity seeking to incorporate FUSUS into the department.

More:Software could help Columbia police tap into private security cameras. But there are questions

Arguments in favor of adoption came from residents; members of the business community, either by private business owners or organizations like the Downtown Community Improvement District; Columbia Public Schools, and community organizations like the Columbia NAACP and Neighborhood Watch.

They focused on increasing department efficiencies to respond to incidents and that FUSUS is not a purchase of new cameras, among others.

Arguments against were related to privacy concerns, potential further impacts to people of color and alleging a slippery slope into a police surveillance state without other protections in place first.

Those who urged the council to vote the measure down again were residents; members of the business community; and community organizations, such as Race Matters, Friends, and the North Central Neighborhood Association, among others.

Resident Laura Gutierrez Perez could not see how adopting FUSUS would improve community trust. She also is a member of the Citizens Police Review Board.

"(The police department) has yet to provide data showing the effectiveness of FUSUS and its ability to prevent crime," she said.

Charles Dunlap covers local government, community stories and other general subjects for the Tribune. You can reach him at cdunlap@columbiatribune.com or @CD_CDT on Twitter. Subscribe to support vital local journalism.