In 2010, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors considered a new ordinance that would have required clubs, bars, and entertainment venues in the city that sell liquor to install surveillance cameras and ID card scanners in order to obtain their liquor license. That ordinance was scrapped after opposition emerged against the plan. But one Supervisor is accusing the Police Department of unilaterally implementing the policy anyway and on a far wider scale.
During a recent committee hearing, members voted on whether or not to grant liquor licenses to three businesses, including a specialty, Spanish grocery. There, the police had pushed the business to install surveillance cameras as part of their liquor license application. While the police do not have an official policy requiring the cameras, the permits – which come on a case-by-case basis – most, if not all, end up with a surveillance condition attached.
The issue is expected to be raised at Tuesday’s Supervisors meeting, where Supervisors David Campos and Scott Weiner are expected to request a hearing.
Read the full story at the San Francisco Examiner.