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Soon after Michael Sue opened his San Francisco shoe store, it was robbed. - The perpetrator used the blowtorch to get in to bypass our alarm system.
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Thieves have hit the store three times. - When somebody breaks in, it's like somebody breaking into your home.
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Now a San Francisco ordinance gives police access to live, private footage like Sue's, they need the owner's permission, but they do not need a warrant.
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I want to be the first one in line to give them access to my camera. - San Francisco has seen a surge in retail thefts, including by this 2021 group that evaded police while robbing downtown stores.
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Some of that potentially could have been avoided, if they were able to watch the situation in real time.
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San Francisco banned the use of facial recognition in 2019⁽¹⁾ and has championed alternative policing.
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Voters recalled its Progressive D.A this year as crime became more visible, police data shows arrests are made in fewer than 10% of reported cases. But mayor Breed says the city has to try something new.
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Sadly, people believe based on understanding the way the laws work, in San Francisco, that in most cases they can get away with something like this, even if they're on film.
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You believe that state law is too lenient? - I think it's just a combination of things and then when it does happen, we want to hold the perpetrators accountable.
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This ordinance requires special circumstances and internal clearance before officers can get footage, but those who voted against this ordinance say we are not seeing the bigger picture.
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Do they really help make us safer? you know and that is the question, and when those video footages are already readily available to our launch enforcement, and yet we still cannot deliver safety results, where does this lead us?
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Michael Sue says he'll hand over access, but within limits. - Obviously they wouldn't need to really see the inventory room cameras, I'm willing to share whatever it's needed for the police to do their job. Jake Ward, NBC News, San Francisco.