[Ord. No. 16-2008, § 1, eff. 8-27-2008]
(a) 
The purpose of this chapter is to ensure that all public security camera systems:
(1) 
further a legitimate, clearly articulated public safety purpose;
(2) 
can effectively achieve their articulated purpose;
(3) 
can achieve their articulated purpose more efficiently than could alternative means;
(4) 
minimally impact constitutional rights;
(5) 
employ an open and publicly accountable process; and
(6) 
employ technological and administrative safeguards to reduce the potential for misuse and abuse of the system.
(b) 
Objectives. The objectives of the City's public security camera system are, by the strategic placement of security cameras in certain areas of the City to deter terrorist and criminal behavior, and, in certain circumstances, to use recorded footage in the investigation of and prosecution for criminal activity.
(c) 
Principles. The City intends to abide by the following principles in its use of City Public Security Cameras and recordings:
(i) 
When images are recorded, stored, reviewed or otherwise processed, the purpose for such activity shall be stated and recorded.
(ii) 
City-owned public security cameras shall be open and the camera-monitored areas shall have signs advising the public of the presence of the cameras.
(iii) 
Images collected by operation of City public security cameras shall be retained no longer than necessary. Any long term retention shall be in accordance with this article and in accordance with regulations and procedures promulgated by the Director of the Department of Public Safety and the Chief of Police.
(iv) 
Access to data from City Public Security Cameras shall be available upon written request only as set forth herein or in regulations and procedures promulgated by the Director of the Department of Public Safety and the Chief of Police.
(v) 
Images acquired by the City from public security cameras shall not be used for any purpose other than the described purpose set forth in the application for access.
(vi) 
City public security cameras shall be directed at the public right-of-way so that no recording is performed except of events and persons in the public right-of-way or in public view. Public security cameras in residential areas shall not provide visual access not available to the general public.
(vii) 
City public security camera operators shall be trained and supervised in the responsible, lawful and ethical use of the cameras, the recording equipment and the recorded images. Access to footage shall be limited and the limited number of personnel with access to footage shall likewise be trained and supervised in the responsible, lawful and ethical use of footage.
(viii) 
There shall be specific sanctions for misuse or abuse of the system or of the footage.
(ix) 
City-owned public security camera footage shall not typically be monitored except when an event triggers the need for short-term monitoring.
[Ord. No. 16-2008, § 1, eff. 8-27-2008]
As used in this chapter, and/or in the regulations promulgated by the Director of the Department of Public Safety and the Chief of Police, certain words and phrases are defined as follows:
APPENDING DATA
means using technology to attach personally identifiable information, such as name, address, or criminal history, to footage or other records of the public security camera system such that those subsequently accessing the Footage or records can also access the attached personal information.
AUDIO RECORDING
means a permanent or retrievable record of oral conversations and audible sounds. THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH PUBLIC SECURITY CAMERAS AND NEIGHBORHOOD PUBLIC SECURITY CAMERAS SHALL PERFORM NO AUDIO RECORDING. Audio recording is governed by state and federal law and is separate and apart from the recording performed by the security cameras in the public right-of-way. Any recordings that capture audio shall be treated under the provisions of the Pennsylvania Wiretapping and Electronic Surveillance Control Act, Act of October 4, 1978, P.L. 831, No. 164, 18 Pa. C.S. § 5701 et seq., as amended, and/or the federal Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986. Pub. L. No. 99-508, 100 Stat. 1848 (1986), 18 U.S.C. § 2510 et seq., as amended.
AUTOMATIC IDENTIFICATION
means use of a public security camera system in conjunction with biometric or other digital technologies to ascertain or confirm the identity of an individual whose image is captured on public security camera footage, whether in real time, as applied to recorded footage, or prospectively.
AUTOMATIC TRACKING
means the use of a public security camera system to follow a specific individual or his or her vehicle with technology operating independently of immediate or direct human control, regardless of whether his or her identity is known, so as to create a seamless record of his or her activity during a specific period.
CITY PUBLIC SECURITY CAMERA
means a public security camera, owned or controlled by the City of Pittsburgh, focused on a public place, paid for in whole or in part with City or other government monies, not hand-held by system operators, implemented for an indefinite period of time or for longer than two hundred forty (240) days, and the primary purpose of which extends beyond a single, specific law enforcement investigation.
CITY PUBLIC SAFETY CAMERA REVIEW COMMITTEE
means a committee consisting of the Mayor or his/her designee, the Director of Public Safety or his/her designee, the President of City Council or his/her designee, one (1) other Council member or designee selected by the Council president, and three (3) members of the public appointed by the Mayor and approved by City Council.
COMMUNITY GROUP
means a locally based organization representing residential, recreational, economic or other interests of those individuals living and working in an area which may be within the coverage of a public security camera and its adjacent neighborhoods.
GOVERNMENT MONIES
means funds secured from City Councilmembers, from the "Weed and Seed" or "Neighborhood Needs" programs or any other federal, state, county or city funding source.
HARM
means physical, financial or emotional injury and is not limited to legal wrongs or violations of legal duties.
INSTALLATION
shall mean an arrangement of cameras allowing them to operate without direct manual control.
MISUSE
means use, operation of or interaction with a PSC system in a manner inconsistent with the use restrictions described in Chapter 683 of this chapter or otherwise not conforming to the approved purposes of the PSC system.
NEIGHBORHOOD PUBLIC SECURITY CAMERA
means a security camera, focused on a public place, paid for in whole or in part with government monies, owned by a neighborhood or community group, not hand-held by system operators, implemented for an indefinite period of time, which may or may not be placed in or on or feeding into government facilities, intended for public safety purposes, and the primary purpose of which extends beyond a single, specific law enforcement investigation. Neighborhood public security cameras are specifically subject to the following portions of this chapter: § 680(a) and (b) (purpose and objectives), § 681.01(e) (cameras placed only in public right-of-way), § 681.02(f) (use of automatic tracking and automatic identification) § 681.02(g) (audio recording prohibited), § 684.01(a) (limited access to footage), § 684.02(b) (access logs), § 685.01 (training), § 688.01 (audits), and § 689.02 (sanctions).
OBSERVATION or MONITORING
means real-time viewing of live camera images.
OPERATOR or CITY OPERATOR
means a City employee authorized and trained to use the system, working for or under the supervision or control of the Department of Public Safety. For security systems not owned by the City, the operator ("neighborhood operator") shall be trained and supervised by the Executive Director of the community group which owns and installed the system.
PAN, TILT AND ZOOM
means manipulating a camera to view areas outside the original image frame or measurably increase the resolution of the images rendered.
PUBLIC SECURITY CAMERA SYSTEM or PSC SYSTEM or SYSTEM
means two (2) or more government owned and operated cameras focused on a public place and remotely operated; or two (2) or more security cameras owned and operated by neighborhood or community groups but paid for in whole or in part with government monies or placed in or on, or feeding into, government facilities and intended for public safety purposes.
RECORDED
refers to images that are preserved and stored by a public security camera system for later review. This includes preservation for any length of time beyond a short window necessary to perform an initial review of the footage.
REVIEWER
means the Directors of Public Safety and of the City Information Systems, or their designees, acting jointly, and/or the Office of Municipal Investigations, and/or the Public Security Camera Review Committee.
SECONDARY PURPOSE
means an intentional, planned and authorized use of a system, or a component of it, or the collected data, for a purpose other than an original approved purpose for the system.
PUBLIC SECURITY CAMERA FOOTAGE or FOOTAGE
means any images recorded by a public security camera system or by a public security camera paid for with government monies including time and location data and any additional metadata or information appended to the images on the footage.
THIRD PARTIES
means individuals or entities (other than the individual requesting access to records relating to him- or herself) that are not under the supervision or control of the Department of Public Safety.