BRPC to Present Draft Safety Action Plan

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) federal funding program is bringing resources to Berkshire County to reduce serious injuries and fatalities on our roads, with the goal of reaching zero.

Berkshire Regional Planning Commission (BRPC) has been developing the STEPS Initiative: the Safe Travel and Equity Plan for our Streets and will be releasing the draft Action Plan for public review and comment on Nov. 4, 2024.

Earlier this year, BRPC, along with their consultation partners at BETA Group Inc., began the development process of a Comprehensive Safety Action Plan with public meetings, an online survey, municipal stakeholder interviews, and a comprehensive review of regional crash data. The draft report of safety recommendations based on these findings will be available for public review and comment beginning Nov. 4. An executive summary is available now at https://www.berkshiresteps.org/.

An input session presenting the draft plan and inviting comments will be held at the Berkshire Innovation Center (BIC), 45 Woodlawn Avenue in Pittsfield, on Wednesday, Nov. 6, at 6:00pm. The comment period runs for 28 days from Nov. 4 through Dec. 2.

The meeting will be in a hybrid format. Zoom pre-registration is required to attend online and may be done at berkshireplanning.org/initiatives/ss4a/. No sign-up is required to attend the meeting in person at the BIC. Language and accessibility services can be provided at the meeting with 7 days advance notice by emailing nrusso@berkshireplanning.org or calling (413) 442-1521 extension 19.

At the meeting, the planning team will present background information, describe the need for this study, and present data gathered over the course of plan development. The team will then review recommendations for future transportation safety projects and programs to address the concerns identified. Berkshire County residents are invited to review the draft report and provide feedback during the comment window from Nov. 4 through Dec. 2.


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Pittsfield Adopts Surveillance Tech Oversight Ordinance

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass.— After two years of preparation, the City Council has adopted a surveillance technology ordinance regarding police body cameras and other equipment.

On Tuesday, a petition from Ward 1 Councilor Kenneth Warren amending the City Code by adding Chapter 18 ½, Surveillance Technology Oversight, was approved.  Warren has championed this effort since 2022— before a five-year contract with body and dash cams was approved.

The ordinance will take effect 180 days after its adoption.

It is based on the Town of Amherst's modified version of the City of Cambridge Ordinance that uses an American Civil Liberties Union model for community control surveillance technology.

"This has been an issue that lots of communities have been looking at, both in Massachusetts and outside of Massachusetts, dealing with software that has some surveillance capability that could possibly have some negative impact on our citizens," Warren said.

The purpose of the ordinance is to provide regulations for surveillance technology acquisition, use by the city, or the use of the surveillance data it provides to safeguard the right of individuals' privacy balanced with the need to promote and provide safety and security.  

It aims to avoid marginalized communities being disproportionately affected by the use of this technology.  Warren would not be surprised if this were encompassed in a statue for statewide standards.

"Police body cameras have the potential to serve as a much-needed police oversight tool at a time of a growing recognition that the United States has a real problem with police violence. But if the technology is to be effective at providing oversight, reducing police abuses, and increasing community trust, it is vital that they be deployed with good policies to ensure they accomplish those goals," the ACLU explains on its website.

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