Arlington Housing Authority Board Meeting - Feb 15th, 2017
John Tortelli and I attended AHA's board meeting tonight. Like last time, the AHA board and executive directory were really decent to talk to, and I think we got a good result. Here are the high points.
One of AHA's cameras is a fisheye mounted to light pole in front of 2--4 Memorial way. AHA acknowledges that the don't own the pole, and will be removing the camera. Weather permitting, by the end of the week.
When AHA removed the cameras from the utility pole in front of 115 Sunnyside, then left the cabling in place. They plan to remove the cabling too.
AHA wasn't sure if they had a written policy for their use of surveillance cameras (their executive director has been looking, but hasn't been able to find one). They agreed that a written policy would be a good thing to have, and they plan to develop one.
I asked how much AHA had spent on the cameras, and didn't get much of an answer. AHA said that the cameras weren't expensive; around $100 each. B&H carries that particular model for $190 (with mounting bracket). 14 * $190 = $2660, but that doesn't include the cost of installation, cabling, RF antennas, storage, etc.
I asked if crime deterrence was the primary purpose of the cameras. I was told "no, it's more for when people (i.e. the police) request footage". Evidentiary value, in other words.
John asked if any of the cameras recorded images outside of AHA's property. They weren't sure about all of the cameras, but did acknowledge that one camera had a full view of the last house on the odd side of Sunnyside Ave. They plan to point this camera more towards the ground, so it doesn't have a clear view of the house.
John asked if AHA tennants were notified about the camera installations. AHA says that people were notified, and that they love the cameras.
John asked if AHA would consider notifying abutters in advance of future camera installations. "That way, you might not have a bunch of people showing up at your meetings". AHA indicated they'd be willing to do that.