Neighborhood Surveillance Watch documents police programs that bring monitoring, data collection, and unsolicited law-enforcement contact directly into residential communities. We track these programs, preserve the original public announcements, evaluate their privacy safeguards, and give communities the information they need to ask better questions.
What we examine — and what we don’t
We examine policies, departmental practices, technologies, public records, and the decisions of government institutions. We do not target, name, or profile individual officers. Our subject is how a government program is structured and disclosed, not the conduct of any person carrying it out.
A finding on this site is never a judgment that anyone acted in bad faith. It is an assessment of whether a program’s consent, data, and oversight practices are clearly disclosed to the public it affects.
How entries are sourced
Every tracked program is built from public, verifiable material wherever possible:
- Official records — department announcements, press releases, policy documents, budget and procurement filings, and meeting minutes.
- Public reporting — local journalism and documented public statements.
- Preserved originals — we archive the original announcement so a later edit or deletion cannot erase what was said.
Where a fact is not established by a source, we record it as unstated or unknown rather than inferring it — and we say so plainly on the record rather than filling the gap with assumption.
How we rate transparency
Each program receives a transparency rating. The rating measures disclosure, not intent.
Documented publicly, participation is clearly voluntary, and privacy safeguards are stated.
Some public information exists, but consent, retention, or oversight details are incomplete.
Little or no public information; consent and data practices are undisclosed.
For each program we ask a consistent set of questions: Is participation voluntary and clearly stated? What information is collected, and is it linked to an address? Are body-worn cameras recording? How long is anything retained, and with whom is it shared? Is there a written privacy policy, an opt-out, and public oversight?
Corrections
If a department publishes a policy that answers open questions, we update the record and can revise the rating. If we get something wrong, we correct it and note the change. Accuracy is the point; a record that overstates a concern is as much a failure as one that misses it.
Protecting people who submit information
We ask submitters to share public documents and firsthand observations, not the private information of their neighbors. Reports may be submitted anonymously. We do not publish the identities of individual residents, and we publish aggregate concerns without identifying households.
Public safety and civil liberty must coexist. Good intentions are not a substitute for written policy.