As a result, ICE could use the data from Highland in its immigration deportation investigations. NCRIC’s website lists ICE as just one of the federal law enforcement groups that can access data shared by local agencies through NCRIC. It wouldn’t surprise me if NYPD could sign in - and all the federal agencies can sign in, including ICE and the FBI.” “Pretty much every police department in the Bay Area has access to this,” he said. Katz-Lacabe noted that the data from the LPR camera at Highland goes to the Northern California Regional Intelligence Center (NCRIC), a consortium of local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies. And it could dissuade some people from using the emergency room’s drop-off for fear of being identified and tracked down by the local police or federal immigration agents. He noted that the use of an LPR camera at a hospital is concerning because the data could reveal sensitive information about people, like when and how frequently they’ve sought emergency health care services. Mike Katz-Lacabe, a researcher who runs the Center for Human Rights and Privacy, discovered the camera at Highland in a batch of law enforcement records he recently obtained through a California Public Records Act request. “Alameda County and Oakland are both considering legislation to bring surveillance technology out of the shadows - this revelation underscores the necessity of such reforms.” “Why are the Alameda County Sheriff and Oakland Police accessing a surveillance system pointed at people seeking medical care, and what controls are in place to prevent misuse of the data?” asked Matt Cagle, an attorney with the ACLU of Northern California. And many uninsured people are forced to seek aid at the emergency room because they don’t have insurance that would allow them to simply visit a physician. The hospital also serves a disproportionately larger number of Black, Latino, Asian, and immigrant patients compared to nearby private hospitals. Most of Highland’s patients are low-income and rely on Medi-Cal and county insurance. The existence of the license plate reader (LPR) is raising concerns among civil liberties groups who are worried about the camera’s presence at the county’s largest public hospital. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE). It automatically reads the license plates of all vehicles that approach the emergency room and instantly sends the plate numbers to a database that numerous local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies can access, including the U.S. But instead of focusing on people, the camera, which is mounted on a pole outside, stares at the u-shaped driveway in front of the ER. In 2014, Highland Hospital in Oakland quietly installed a surveillance camera near the entrance to its emergency room at a cost of $75,000.
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