Im 2016, the Baltimore Police Department ran a secret surveillance drone-like program to investigate leads in the department. The technology was made by DoD and CIA to track targets in Middle East. It had the ability to monitor 90% of the city 24/7.
The AIR (Aerial Investigation Research) project was done utterly in secret, only the police dept knew. The mayor and the city council were completely in the dark. When it came to light, it was supposedly shut down
Then in 2020, the company who actually did the program, called Persistent Surveillance Systems, lobbied the city to relaunch the experimental ariel surveillance program in a 6-month pilot program. It cost about $3.7 million and was paid for by the “Arnold Foundation”
The ACLU filed a lawsuit against the city, claiming it violated the 4th and 1st Amendment (unreasonable search and seizure; violates right to free assembly) The 4th Circuit Appeals Court ruled that the surveillance was constitutional.
0/3 judges in the deciding panel had experience with tech or AI. 2/3 ruled it was constitutional, citing that it doesn’t actually “search” any property and doesn’t prevent people from gathering in assemblies. They also claimed that it would decrease violent crime.
The Baltimore City council unanimously voted to end the city police department’s spy plane program, indicating that a benevolent higher power may actually exist.
This, however, doesn’t prevent intel agencies + the police to go behind the backs of the city council like before. And also a federal fucking court ruled that having spy planes constantly circling a city airspace is totally kosher.
The Arnold Foundation is a nonprofit org made by billionaire hedge fund manager and private equity executive John Arnold and high-power M&A attorney Laura Arnold. What a power couple #goals
Aside from bankrolling the surveillance state, John pushed for “pension reform” in Cali
Aside from bankrolling the surveillance state, John pushed for “pension reform” in Cali
Oh and how can I forget that John started his career in finance at Enron. Days before the company totally imploded he was awarded an $8 million bonus, the largest cash bonus ever given by Enron. After his tenure there, he began his career in high finance. Just a fun tidbit to add
none of Baltimore PD info is analysis or speculation it’s literally on a think tank’s website: carnegiecouncil.org/studio/multime…
Other info regarding the court case and the subsequent disillusion of the program can be found easily
Other info regarding the court case and the subsequent disillusion of the program can be found easily
*termination of the program
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