City Council

City of Salem, Massachusetts “Know Your Rights Under the Open Meeting Law, M.G.L. c. 30A ss. 18-25 and City Ordinance Sections 2-2028 through 2-2033.” The City Council Committee on Ordinances, Licenses and Legal Affairs co-posted with the Committee of the Whole met in the Council Chamber on _May 17, 2022__________ at ______6:00______P.M. for the purpose of discussing the matters(s) listed below. Notice of this meeting was posted on ___ May 5, 2022__ at ___ 4:14 P.M._________________ (This meeting is being recorded) ATTENDANCE ABSENT WERE: C Dominguez; C Dominguez joined at 7:14 pm; C Varela lost connection at ~ 7:30pm Also in Attendance: COW: C McClain, C Merkl, C Morsillo, C Watson Felt City of Salem: Chief of Police Lucas Miller, Capt Ryan, Tom Devine, Christina Hodge SUBJECT(S) #103 Sec 6.8 Zoning – Visibility at Intersections of Ch. 6 C Riccardi opened the meeting and provided background to this topic. C Morsillo noted the last meeting the idea of revising the amendment to include only Entrance Corridor T Devine from the planning Dept noted that many neighborhoods have zero set backs. Some neighborhood developments want to continue to promote this. An expansion of a site permitter might add additional impact, beyond what is intended here. The planning dept feels the ECOD is set up to promote an aesthetic, not really capturing safety. Not every high-speed road is part of the ECOD. C Morsillo asked about the conflicting language in ECOD and section 6.8 - Visibility at Intersections. T Devine noted the 25 feet sightline set back applies in all zones. C Hodge spoke about intersections that have a stop control light and could be very wide. It is very important to have these sightlines; you don’t want to block the view of pedestrians crossing, etc. She was not sure how much an extra 10 feet would provide. You also don’t want it to feel too barren and have the drivers feel too confident. C Prosniewski asked if there was any data available on which was better – 25 ft or 35 ft. C Hodge said she was not aware of any but could continue to look. Chief Miller commented that if everyone drove like they were supposed to, 25 feet is adequate. If they are poor drivers, 25 feet is not enough. Chief Miller asked if there was any way to speak to specific intersections in the city. C Prosniewski was concerned about limiting a homeowner's land use. C Cohen noted he has similar concerns. He feels the 25 vs 35 feet might be somewhat arbitrary C Varela asked if the current language had restrictions on landscaping. C Riccardi noted yes, three feet. C Riccardi agreed with C Hodge comments that perhaps making the sight lines too restrictive would have the opposite effect of the intent (safety) C Merkl asked if the Police could make one off adjustments if needed Chief Miller noted they only have the ability to enact temporary adjustments C McClain asked if there could possibly be a way to create temp addition / structures / plantings. C Watson Felt agreed. C Riccardi noted that the previous committee meeting discussed this option and putting individual case by case items on any particular department could be a tricky situation C Cohen moved to keep the item in committee. 2nd by C Prosniewski C Cohen – Yes C Prosniewski Yes C Varela – No C Riccardi – No Matter Tied 2/2 C Varela moved to send to council a positive recommendation 2nd by C Riccardi C Cohen – No C Prosniewski No C Varela – Yes C Riccardi – Yes Matter Tied 2/2 C Cohen moved to keep the item in committee. 2nd by C Prosniewski C Cohen – Yes C Prosniewski Yes C Varela – No C Riccardi – No Matter Tied 2/2 C Varela moved to send to Council with no recommendation 2nd by C Riccardi C Cohen – No C Prosniewski No C Varela – Yes C Riccardi – Yes Matter Tied 2/2 No action taken, moved on to next agenda item #270 Salem Police Department Installing Video Surveillance Equipment in certain locations Chief Miller noted that we have ~ 100 outward facing cameras around the city; used primarily f or safety and security. The Chief noted past incidents where camera footage was able to assist in identifying perpetrators in crime. It is a significant crime determinant for the city. C Prosniewski asked about cameras in entrance corridors. Are they used during Amber Alerts. The Chief confirmed camera technology uses license plate readers for BOLOs. C Dominguez joined at 7:15pm C McClain asked for elaboration on what information is collected. Chief Miller noted that the ~ 100 cameras are not all monitored for crime constantly. But if there is a report of ongoing crime, the dispatching officer can pull up the camera for review. C McClain asked about the locations at fire houses. The Chief confirmed this is to watch the ballot boxes that are there. C McClain asked about private video surveillance and if we can use it. The Chief noted that we can request it if someone has it. If it is linked to a crime and not shared, a court order can be requested to access. C McClain asked if a member of the public could access recorded info. The Chief confirmed that the video footage is available under FOIA C Morsillo asked about storage of recordings. Capt Ryan noted that video is kept for 30 days. After 30 days it is re-written over. The dispatcher has immediate access to recordings, as well as Detectives and officers in charge. C Dominguez asked about body worn cameras and how many are there. The Chief noted there are 8 available; distributed across the shifts. They are awaiting delivery of more cameras. C Dominguez asked about body cam recorded video, how long is it stored. The Chief noted that storage for body worn cameras is 6 months. Cost for storage was part of the contract. C Merkl noted support of the cameras, especially for Ballot Box surveillance C Morsillo asked how many are viewed in real time. C Ryan noted in the dispatch center, there are 4 large monitors that can hold 10 camera views. Some cameras have more than one view. During peak times (ie Halloween) certain areas may be watched C Cohen noted that Citizens Academy is a great option for our constituents C McClain asked how often other law enforcement agencies request video from us. The Chief noted the City of Lynn is our most frequent collaborator. He can think of only one instance where video was shared with a Federal Agency (at request). Additional conversation around access to the cameras and video – Freedom of Information act allows this. At some point C Varela exited the meeting due to technical difficulties C Cohen moves that this be sent to the full council with a positive recommendation for passage. Second by C Dominguez C Cohen Yes C Dominguez Yes C Prosniewski Yes C Riccardi – Yes 4 Matter passes 4/0 On the motion of C. Dominguez , 2nd by C Prosniewski 4/0 the meeting adjourned at _7:41 P.M. ________________________________________________________ (Chairperson)