St. Louis considers surveillance planes in crime battle

O'FALLON, Mo. (AP) — With 2020 shaping to be an especially violent year in one of the nation’s most violent cities, St. Louis leaders are considering a new tool to fight crime — surveillance planes — even as opponents worry about the further militarization of police and the potential for invasion of privacy.

St. Louis traditionally has one of the highest murder rates in the U.S., and this year is shaping up to be especially deadly. The city has seen 113 homicides through Thursday, including 43 in the past 40 days, and is on pace to easily top last year’s total of 194.

The city is considering contracting with an Ohio-based company called Persistent Surveillance Systems, which initially developed its system to aid the military in Iraq.

In May, Baltimore became the first city to try the program as a crime-fighting tool, launching a six-month trial program.

In St. Louis, planes would use wide-angle cameras to help keep tabs on the city. The footage could be paired with video from the estimated 1,100 surveillance cameras around St. Louis to help track down criminals.

Alderman Tom Oldenburg, sponsor of the proposal, believes the mere presence of the planes would deter bad behavior.

“If people know there are eyes everywhere, they are less likely to commit a crime,” Oldenburg said in an interview on Thursday. Asked if it was a drastic measure, he said, “I wouldn’t say drastic, I would say the word ‘innovative.’ We should put everything on the table.”

But opponents in racially divided St. Louis say the city should focus on social programs, not more militarization. St. Louis has been the site of dozens of protests in the weeks since George Floyd’s death in Minnesota, including some calls to reduce funding for police.

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