Police Chided Over Downtown Surveillance

Unease about a new surveillance system for downtown Manhattan is hardening into a full-fledged protest by civil liberties advocates.

The New York Civil Liberties Union demanded yesterday that the New York City Police Department release details about the surveillance program, known as the Ring of Steel, in a Freedom of Information Law request, and called for public discussion about what sorts of information will be collected.

Police have said the data collected would be from public areas where people shouldn't expect privacy.

They have also noted that thousands of public and private cameras throughout the city already collect images of city streets and sidewalks that police occasionally use to solve crimes.

The City Council has already signed off on funding for the Ring of Steel, a counterterrorism idea that was lifted from a similar system in London. A ring of video cameras will capture license plate numbers.