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Tennessee Conservative News Staff –
Metro Council members voted down a resolution Tuesday night that would give the Metro Nashville Police Department permission to accept grant money to replace surveillance cameras in the downtown area.
In a 20-15 vote, with three abstentions, the Council opted not to allow MNPD to accept $150,000 in funding from the Nashville Downtown Partnership. The funding would have been used to replace 15 surveillance cameras throughout downtown Nashville.
Funding for the cameras was part of a larger $15 million safety contract with the Partnership. Councilmember Jacob Kupin noted that it would be more beneficial to consider the individuals items in the contract rather than do a blanket approval.
“One of the things that I really appreciate that we’re doing now is looking at these grant items individually,” Kupin stated.
There has been ongoing opposition to allowing MNPD to have access to private security cameras, with many concerned that doing so would lead to the the federal government pushing ICE to use the cameras to fight illegal immigration in the city.
Kupin noted, however, that no new cameras would be installed; old ones would just be replaced with cameras that did not have facial recognition software or tracking capabilities.
Others argue that the money would be better spent on programs that help to address the root causes of crimes, rather than just allow police to identify a criminal after the fact.
“We know what deters crime,” said Terri O’Neill, chair of Nashville Organized for Action. “What deters crime is the after-school programs, the community centers, the people-centered social infrastructure that lifts everybody up.”
In a January 14 letter, the Partnership outlined what it planned to do with the grant money:
- $150,000 – aid in purchase of replacement cameras
- $430,000 – aid in purchase of armored rescue vehicle
- $2,000,000 – aid in purchase of a mobile command post
- $800,000 – aid in purchase of tactical support post
Metro Council members approved the other three items by a narrow margin.
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