NEWBURYPORT — The city is on the verge of spending an estimated $247,000 to install building security systems, including cameras inside City Hall and the Senior/Community Center, as well as exterior and interior cameras at the harbormaster’s building.
“This request came from the city employees,” mayoral Chief of Staff Andrew Levine said. “The union had concerns about it, too.”
Levine went on to say the city is looking do more to beef up staff security.
“One way people said they would be more comfortable is having these cameras,” he said.
While the City Council on June 24 approved buying 25 security cameras and equipment to better secure buildings, it won’t officially release the funds until Mayor Sean Reardon’s staff provides details on camera locations, as well as a policy for their use.
Once a plan is in place, it will be reviewed by the council’s Public Works & Safety subcommittee before it goes back to the full council for a final vote.
If approved, 15 cameras would be placed inside City Hall (the first ever). The rest would be split up between the Senior/Community Center as well as the harbormaster’s office.
The city already has over 30 surveillance cameras set up to monitor certain areas all across Newburyport. Those cameras can be moved and monitored at any time.
But Levine said the new cameras would remain affixed and used for security purposes in city offices. They would only be checked after an incident or if a complaint was made, Levine added.
“These are not surveillance cameras,” he said. “Sometimes, we’ve had folks who come in and make people uncomfortable who aren’t even from here.”
The proposed cameras, Levine added, would provide an extra layer of safety for city employees and the public alike.
“We’ve had city staff concerned about safety and security, post COVID, when a lot of municipalities have reported some hostile interactions with members of the public going up,” he said. “We’re not immune from that.”
Global pandemic or not, Levine said visitors to City Hall might not be arriving in the best of moods.
“Sometimes, you just get people who are mad about a tax bill or something else,” he said. “They might not realize their behavior is making staff uncomfortable. When you deal with it all day, it can be difficult.”
First Amendment auditors who record their interactions with government employees have also made some trips to City Hall.
Bad interactions with city employees can often found online after such an audit. But Levine said conversations in Newburyport have gone very well.
“We’ve had some come into the building before,” he said. “Honestly, our staff passed these audits with flying colors. Nothing ended up online because I think the first member of the auditors said, ‘everyone was great here. This is a nice place.’ So nothing came of that.”
Ward 5 City Councilor Jim McCauley, who leads the Public Works & Safety subcommittee, said he’s looking for a strict access policy that doesn’t allow the mayor’s office constant access to its employees.
“I don’t want anyone having their pay docked for using the bathroom too long,” he said. “So, I think we need to find the appropriate place to put them, as well as when they’re used.”
Visitors and employees have a right to their privacy while at City Hall, McCauley added.
“Even when there’s a legitimate reason for cameras, we also need to have policies in place around how we’ll store the images and data,” he said. “We’ll also have to have signs everywhere, telling people they’re under surveillance. So from a policy standpoint, there are a lot of questions to be answered here.”
Levine pointed out the request for new cameras was brought to the administration by a city employees’ union.
“This is something that came from the staff,” he said.
Ward 2 City Councilor Jennie Donahue, who also sits on the Public Works & Safety subcommittee, said she has heard from at least one constituent worried about privacy.
“I think that concern could be warranted in some cases,” she said. “But I think, as we get further into this, we’ll find there are good reasons behind some of these asks.”
Donahue added she is of two minds on the subject.
“I will absolutely say I’ll likely be supporting some of these cameras,” she said. “For instance the City Clerk’s office deals with all the parking ticket appeals, including the handicap parking violation fines. It’s not uncommon for people to be incredibly rude to the clerks, or borderline aggressive, when people go in there about those.”
Former at-large City Councilor Barry Connell, however, said he doesn’t see a compelling need for the cameras.
“We’re asking residents to pay for the installation of cameras that will surveille them going about their private lives,” he said. “I fail to make the distinction between surveillance and security cameras in public areas. How much of our individual liberties do we want to surrender to the city for the convenience of tracking down people who may misbehave?”
Ward 1 City Councilor Sharif Zeid said in a text message the cameras need to be installed with the utmost transparency, when it comes to their need, as well as privacy.
“There are times when cameras make sense and when they don’t,” he said. “The process being undertaken now provides the opportunity to ask those questions, get answers, and reach consensus.”
Staff writer Jim Sullivan covers Newburyport for The Daily News. He can be reached via email at jsullivan@newburyportnews.com or by phone at 978-961-3145. Follow him on Twitter @ndnsully.