Rockland County District Attorney Tom Walsh is urging local governments to strengthen oversight of artificial intelligence and surveillance technologies used by law enforcement, saying public safety depends on balancing effective policing with transparency and public trust.
In an op-ed released Thursday, Walsh said modern law enforcement agencies increasingly rely on technologies such as school bus cameras, helicopters, surveillance cameras, license plate readers, facial recognition systems, digital forensics, drones, and artificial intelligence to investigate crimes, locate missing persons, protect victims, and help prevent wrongful convictions.
Walsh argued that while these tools provide significant benefits, their growing capabilities require strong accountability. He called on the Rockland County Legislature, as well as town and village boards that oversee local police agencies, to regularly review the purchase and use of surveillance technologies, adopt clear policies governing their use, require transparency and public reporting, and ensure safeguards are in place to protect privacy and constitutional rights.
“Extraordinary technology requires transparency and accountability,” Walsh wrote, adding that independent legislative oversight is essential to maintaining public confidence in law enforcement.
The district attorney also addressed the growing role of artificial intelligence, saying AI should assist human decision-making rather than replace policies established by elected officials.
Walsh noted that his office does not determine which technologies law enforcement agencies purchase or the policies governing their use. Instead, he said his responsibility is to ensure evidence is obtained lawfully and ethically, constitutional rights are protected, and convictions are secured properly.
The op-ed concludes with a call for all legislative bodies in Rockland County to actively oversee the use of surveillance systems by both public and private entities, stating that transparent regulation will help strengthen public trust and confidence in law enforcement.
