
(credit: Dawn Endico)
A Silicon Valley county has become the first in the United States to vote in a new law that requires "continued oversight and regular evaluation" for law enforcement agencies starting prior to the acquisition of surveillance technology.
The ordinance, which was unanimously approved by the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, requires that the county sheriff and the district attorney’s office seek board approval before those agencies even begin the process of obtaining new snooping gear. The agencies are not required to immediately notify the board in exigent circumstances, but must do so generally within 90 days.
Agencies must also submit a usage policy to the county government, and notably, an "Annual Surveillance Report," which should describe what data the device captures, how the agency deals with information collected about people not suspected of any wrongdoing, and whether the gear has been effective, among other requirements.