California Streetlight Camera Footage Is Admissible as Evidence

Footage from San Diego’s streetlight cameras can be used as evidence in criminal proceedings, a California appeals court ruled Thursday.

The public cannot reasonably expect privacy when they’re traveling on a public, downtown right of way in the middle of a business day, Associate Justice William S. Dato wrote in a published opinion for the California 4th District Court of Appeal.

The “City IQ” cameras, which were initially installed around 2018 as a traffic tool, sparked public privacy concerns when residents learned law enforcement was regularly using their footage, including to gather records of 2020 Black Lives Matter protests.

The ...