The ACLU of Missouri sent both candidates for the St. Louis Board of Alderman President the following questionnaire on the Community Control Over Police Surveillance bill.
Candidates' Responses
Megan Green selected "yes" and provided the additional comment: "I was co-sponsor on all the previous attempts to get CCOPS adopted and will continue to support as President of the Board of Alderman."
Jack Coatar did not provide a response.
CCOPS Questionnaire:
Dear Board of Alderman President Candidate,
For the past 4+ years, the ACLU of Missouri and the national ACLU, along with numerous local and national partner organizations, have been working to pass a Community Control Over Police Surveillance (“CCOPS”) bill through the Board of Alderman. CCOPS laws, which have been adopted in 22 other cities and impact more than 17.7 million people, change the rules governing the local acquisition and use of surveillance technologies. Instead of continuing the status quo of allowing the police and other government agencies to make decisions about acquiring and using surveillance techs unilaterally and in secret, CCOPS requires that such decisions be made transparently, by the democratically accountable members of the Board of Aldermen, and only after providing the public with significant information about the technology and an opportunity to voice their opinions directly to the Board. Such a process allows impacted groups to play a far greater role in surveillance decisions, from abortion care seekers, who risk being identified and prosecuted using surveillance techs, to communities of color, who have always been disproportionately targeted by surveillance.
The current version of CCOPS, designated as Board Bill __ and sponsored by Alderperson _______, is primed for adoption. It has the support of Mayor Jones and a significant number of BOA members. What St. Louis’ bill needs to become the nation’s 23rd CCOPS law is the leadership and influence of the BOA President, who has the power to successfully shepherd the bill through the committee process and full Board vote.
All St. Louisans, but especially women and persons of color, are at heightened risk by the growing deployment of surveillance technology and the free sharing of surveillance data. If we are to empower those groups to keep themselves safe, time is of the essence. To avoid unnecessary and potentially significant delays, it is essential BB __ is adopted before the BOA is reconstituted following the April 2023 elections. To that end, please respond to the following question:
If elected President of the Board of Aldermen, will you commit to using the full influence of your office to prioritize and secure the adoption of BB ___ before the Board of Aldermen’s April 2023 elections and reconstitution?
(Please check one) ¨ Yes ¨ No
Additional Comments: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
For more information about the CCOPS effort, please visit www.aclu-mo.org/en/ccops and www.CommunityCTRL.com.
Kindly provide your response to __________________________ by _____________, 2022.