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NYPD Says 'Trust Us' on Potentially Dangerous X-Ray Vans Roaming the Streets of New York.
https://www.aclu.org/blog/speak-freely/nypd-says-trust-us-potentially-dangerous-x-ray-vans-roaming-streets-new-york(h/t @deray for tweeting link)
The New York Police Department, apparently, believes it should have the power to see through walls and that New Yorkers should just blindly trust them not to abuse it.
...
The department denied a Freedom of Information Law request by Grabell, who wanted information from the NYPD about any public health risks, the NYPD’s prior use of the vans, whether the department gets a warrant before it uses them, or how long the NYPD holds on to images the vans capture. The NYPD also won’t say how much the vans cost, though their reported price tag is steep — between $729,000 and $825,000 for each vehicle.
...
We’d like to believe that the NYPD is using X-ray vans lawfully. But the trouble is that we have no information about how they are used – whether it’s lawful, whether it has health risks, or how much it intrudes on our privacy. And the NYPD is refusing to share any of this information even after it was ordered to by a court.
...
The department denied a Freedom of Information Law request by Grabell, who wanted information from the NYPD about any public health risks, the NYPD’s prior use of the vans, whether the department gets a warrant before it uses them, or how long the NYPD holds on to images the vans capture. The NYPD also won’t say how much the vans cost, though their reported price tag is steep — between $729,000 and $825,000 for each vehicle.
...
We’d like to believe that the NYPD is using X-ray vans lawfully. But the trouble is that we have no information about how they are used – whether it’s lawful, whether it has health risks, or how much it intrudes on our privacy. And the NYPD is refusing to share any of this information even after it was ordered to by a court.