Prince Edward County has approved a new policy governing the use of security cameras on municipal property.
The policy was put before council during Tuesday’s meeting.
Under the new policy, strict criteria have to be met before security cameras are considered for installation in a public space. The cameras are to be used to enhance safety of the area, and if other less intrusive methods can be used to achieve the same result, the policy states those should be employed first.
The new policy also includes provisions to protect the privacy of anyone who’s image is captured in the camera footage, including digital security on the stored files and restricting access to only municipal employees who would need to view the footage.
Councillor Kate MacNaughton said that the policy balanced the needs for safety and privacy.
“This is a very sensitive approach to using video surveillance, which expresses the need to ensure that the surveillance is necessary, as opposed to wanted,” said Councillor MacNaughton.
The policy was passed without debate.
