Resident urges caution on business-linked police video systems

Robert Everett, a Middleton resident who gave his address at the meeting, told the Common Council he wants the city to be cautious about alternatives to its current automated-license-plate-reading (ALPR) approach.

“My name is Robert Everett. I live at 3150 Patty Lane,” he said, and described records he obtained showing a July 15 demonstration in Fitchburg that included body cameras, license-plate readers, drones and a system he identified as “FUSUS,” which he said “is a system that is installed and connects police to businesses” so officers can view live video from inside businesses. Everett said some municipalities require business cameras and urged the council to consider limits that keep footage on a closed circuit rather than broadly accessible.

Everett also flagged the lack of uniform policies across municipalities about what counts as a public record from these systems and asked the council to consider transparency and access constraints if Middleton examines alternatives. “There’s really no uniformity when it comes to, like, what is the definition of a record,” he said.

The council did not take action on surveillance policy during the meeting; the comment was part of the public-comment period and will be part of the public record.