Council committee advances $9M traffic-signal connectivity contract, seeks privacy clarifications

The committee voted to send a $9,000,000 traffic-signal connectivity and backup-power contract to formal with a recommendation to approve, but council members asked pointed questions about camera use, data sharing and whether footage could be accessed by police.

DPW Director Ron Brundage described the project’s scope: connect about 198 previously unconnected traffic signals to the traffic management center, install up to 150 cameras at intersections for traffic monitoring and add backup-generator switches to keep signals running during power outages. "This project also provides for installing up to 150 traffic cameras," Brundage said, and emphasized the primary aim is traffic safety and signal monitoring.

Committee members asked how video would be used and whether personally identifiable information or license-plate data would be captured. Brundage said the cameras planned for the contract do not have license-plate–reader capability and that the collected data are intended for traffic analysis and signal timing improvements. "It's not going to be shared with anyone" beyond DPW and, when needed, DPD for investigations, he said, adding that the traffic management center is co-located with DPD's command center.

Council members requested the COGS report and additional clarity about access rules before the full council acts; procurement staff and the city chief procurement officer confirmed the contract, as a DPW item, does not require Board of Police Commissioners review under current ordinance because it is not a DPD procurement.

Vice Chair Denzel Anton McCampbell said he was supportive of the project's goal to reduce outages and speed repairs but preferred to bring the contract back in one week to confirm the specifics of data access and any necessary legal or privacy protections. The committee ultimately voted to send 6.21 to formal with a recommendation to approve.