Puerto Rico’s Civil Rights Commission (CDC) agreed to investigate surveillance systems installed at points across Puerto Rico, taking up a complaint filed by Puerto Rico Independence Party Representative Denis Márquez Lebrón and Independentista Senator María de Lourdes Santiago. The CDC’s full body accepted the request at its ordinary meeting on Friday, October 23. The investigation covers automatic license plate readers, body cameras and drones used by the government and towns, as well as systems that government agencies require as a condition for entering public spaces, according to the CDC’s letter to Márquez.
The commission said it has begun issuing information requests and that the probe will complement its 2017 investigation, which the PIP described as an inquiry into 'cyber surveillance' after the party denounced that the Police used social media to monitor people planning protests. Santiago and Márquez filed the complaint on September 11, asking for an urgent investigation of surveillance systems implemented in several municipalities.
Márquez said the commission’s acceptance is an important step toward demanding answers about the systems’ use, noting Puerto Rico’s history of state surveillance against those who think differently. Companies with the largest presence include Flock Safety, through distributor Resilient International; Axon Enterprise, which holds ten government contracts totaling about $40.8 million per the Comptroller’s contract registry; and Genetec, which has no registered contracts but is the most common plate-reader brand in San Juan per a volunteer-made map, while Resilient International holds ten contracts worth around $550,000.