Port of Everett rethinks using cameras to catch golf-ball bomber

Published 11:05 pm Thursday, May 21, 2009

EVERETT — The golf-ball bomber has stopped his salvoes at the Port of Everett, at least for now.

Meanwhile, port officials decided to come up with a formal policy on how to use anti-terrorism cameras. They caught flak from Rucker Hill neighbors this week after it was revealed the cameras were aimed toward their homes to catch whoever was driving golf balls at the port.

“If they have the ability to tape my house, there should be a written policy to determine who can see these tapes and how they are used,” said Dave Miller, whose bedroom window faces the port.

Neighbors’ concerns about privacy have caused the port to rethink how it regulates video surveillance, said Scott Grindy, port facilities and security director.

“In hindsight, we realize the golf balls are a public safety issue, not a threat to the terminals, in terms of somebody breaking in,” Grindy said. “Aiming at the hillside probably wasn’t an appropriate use.”

It’s believed that someone or a group of people have been whacking golf balls down the hill onto port property. Port officials say that has endangered workers and millions of dollars worth of equipment and cargo. Dozens of balls have landed at the port since last fall.

In addition to filing a police report, port security officials decided to turn cameras toward the neighborhood. The cameras were paid for, along with fencing and other security equipment, with more than $2.3 million in funding from the Department of Homeland Security after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

Miller, who learned about the cameras from reading the newspaper, said he called the port Monday with a list of questions about the video surveillance. He wanted to know what guidelines the port was following to safeguard privacy and to limit the potential for abuse.

As of Thursday, his call had not been returned, he said. Port spokeswoman Lisa Lefeber said she was unaware of Miller’s message.

Port officials say that video cameras are operated by trained port security staff and any footage collected is shared only with appropriate government agencies, not with the public.

Charlene Rawson, chairwoman of the Port Gardner Neighborhood Association, which includes Rucker Hill and the Port of Everett’s shipping terminals, arranged a meeting with the port’s executive director John Mohr after she learned that cameras were used on the neighborhood.

“We had a nice conversation about it,” said Rawson, who initially said she believed the port’s actions violated people’s privacy. “The port said they don’t have the cameras pointed at any particular house.”

There’s no way for the public to determine exactly what the cameras recorded. Port officials say they cannot share video footage, because of Homeland Security rules. Nor can they disclose the location of cameras or answer whether they can pan or zoom.

It’s understandable that people would be upset to have their property watched by the government, said Doug Honig, spokesman for the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington.

“Cameras that are intended to watch out for potential terrorist treats should not be used to surveil neighborhoods,” Honig said. “It’s not the business of the government to use cameras to record what people are doing in their daily lives.”

Reporter David Chircop: 425-339-3429, dchircop@heraldnet.com.