Clashing priorities of personal privacy, collective security, use of unpopular surveillance applications, and respect of federal airspace regulations are inflaming tempers in one Saint Louis neighborhood, whose resident are fighting to prevent an outside crime fighting advocate from using drones as for-hire aerial watch dogs.
The battle over Saint Louis’ skies is taking place in the meeting halls of the historic Gravois Park neighborhood. According the city’s Post-Dispatch newspaper, the area reported a “per-capita crime rate over the past six months…(of) 48.61 per 1,000 residents, which is higher than 57 neighborhoods (out of 77).” Meaning it’s on the lower half of the municipal law and order ranking, but not exactly Gog and Mgogg, either.
Jomo Johnson clearly doesn’t agree, and thinks Gravois Park needs security help from on high.
Johnson is the founder and operator of SMS Novel, a company that recently began testing its drone services in Saint Louis. The startup provides real-time, live-streaming aerial video surveillance to businesses and homeowners wanting elevated help keeping watch for trouble around their property. Clients use an app to order up eyes in the sky, and SMS Novel has a craft keeping watch within an hour.
According to media reports on the company, it is already operating in over 25 cities, including Los Angeles – and now, obviously, Saint Louis. It was preparing to launch beta testing of its drone surveillance services in Gravois Park on January 29 when its UAVs hit headwinds of public outcry.
Neighborhood residents want no part of the activity, and neither does the Saint Louis Board of Public Service. Its members sent Johnson a cease-and-desist letter in support of local opponents, who call the drone surveillance unwanted, intrusive, and an invasion of privacy.
Just as bad, they charge, the effort is an attempt by an out-of-state company to drum up business by stoking fears over crime they say isn’t a problem.
Officials have ordered Johnson and his SMS Novel drones grounded until the company obtains permits from Saint Louis authorities to fly over city-owned parks and streets. Given local sentiment, it’s unlikely anyone will be rushing to ink those approvals any time soon.
Johnson has fired back with claims SMS Novel has been test flying its drones in Saint Louis for over two months without anyone being the wiser – or feeling their privacy had been violated. He has vowed to defy city no-flight decrees that conflict with state laws and federal regulations giving him the right to pilot the craft.
The latter rules, Johnson has noted, reference the Federal Aviation Administration’s authority over US airspace, and its established primacy in overturning disputed attempts to impose local restrictions in otherwise free-fly areas.
Despite his determination to press ahead, it appears Johnson has paused the drone testing in Gravois Park, awaiting what local media termed impending litigation – by which side is anyone’s guess.
Johnson has reiterated his position that his video streaming surveillance service merely seeks to provide Saint Louis users monitoring likely to dissuade criminal activity, and record evidence for use by police when it does occur.
January 13 Update
Acknowledging the staunch opposition to his drone surveillance plans over Gravois Park, Johnson on Friday decided to scrap his plans for Saint Louis, at least for now.
In a post on Twitter, he said Sms Novel is withdrawing our planned Drone Security Beta Test of Gravois Park in #STL,” and – displaying what’s become increasingly rare good sportsmanship in adversity – said “(w)e wish the best to the community.”
Reports today say the startup may seek to renew the effort in another part of the city later. But for now it appears Johnson is pulling up the stakes in Saint Louis and focusing on other localities his teams are already operating.
Saint Louis 7th Ward Alderwoman Alisha Sonnier has countered with promises to introduce legislation preventing private companies from doing business as de facto vigilante aerial crime-watchers. She also dismisses Johnson’s claim his drones have been flying over Gravois Park for months without anyone noticing, then only drew protest when the launch of beta testing was revealed.
“It’s not a good sign of community partnership when you come into people’s communities and you just impose something on them,” Sonnier told Saint Louis newsweekly Riverfront Times. “This person didn’t approach any of the neighbors, didn’t have a conversation with any neighborhood organizations or with me, and I represent the majority of Gravois Park.”
Image: Brittney Butler/Unsplash
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