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Yes.
The city of Green Bay, Wisconsin, confirmed in a statement Feb. 10, 2023, that the City Hall security system includes audio surveillance.
According to the statement:
- Following complaints from city staff and the public, the city enhanced the security system on the first and second floors of City Hall between winter 2021 and summer 2022.
- City Hall has 14 surveillance cameras in public areas. Three, in the first- and second-floor hallways, can record audio.
- Footage is not continuously monitored, but video and audio have been reviewed to gather information about accidents, altercations and damage to property.
The statement was posted “in the interest of sharing factual information and to correct any misinformation.”
The statement followed news reports about existence of the audio surveillance. One councilman called it “spying.”
An ACLU official in Washington said he had never heard of another city hall using audio surveillance.
This Fact Brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
Green Bay: Fact Sheet – City Hall Security
WLUK: Green Bay alder asks for surveillance policy after microphones installed at city hall
WLUK: ‘Very serious privacy invasion’: ACLU analyst on Green Bay’s audio surveillance
WGBA NBC 26 in Green Bay: Green Bay Common Council members reveal when they discovered about audio surveillance at City Hall
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