Cleveland’s First AI Security Camera Went Live on Public Square This Week

Downtown Cleveland, Inc., which in August took over management of Public Square from the Group Plan Commission, has continued its efforts to make the plaza safer with the installation this week of an AI-powered security camera on the southwest corner of the square. (Cleveland police also now have a dedicated, two-man cruiser stationed there.)

The new camera, made by Robotic Assistance Devices, is “equipped with advanced features and smart capabilities that not only detect loitering and trespassing after hours but also engage the public with positive, eye-catching messages on its vivid dual LED displays,” DCI said in a release.

That topic has been in the news recently as new signage was erected reminding Clevelanders that the area is off-limits from midnight to 5 a.m. (Not very “public of Public Square.)

However, should it detect loitering or trespassing after hours, it’s unclear what happens, as the camera will not be monitored from midnight to 7 a.m

DCI declined to say how much they spent on the camera, but Chief Executive Michael Deemer said its foreshadowing for more surveillance efforts for the four blocks.

“This initiative is just our first step in leveraging smart technology as a tool to enhance public safety and security downtown,” Deemer wrote in a release. “It builds upon the foundation we’ve laid” already.

Powered by two wing-like solar panels at its base, and linked to 4G cell towers, the RIO™ 360 is a product of Robotic Assistant Devices, a Michigan-based company that specializes in AI-driven security technology for law enforcement and big business. (They make those intimidating K-9 robot dogs.)

Technology that’s as far-reaching as it is powerful.

With the help of an “AI analytic library,” gunshots, license plates, wanted cars, persons-of-interest, even construction workers working without full protective gear—will all be able to be singled out by the device, according to a company brochure.

Yet, RIO’s four cameras, two-way audio and round-the-clock app-access had some bystanders a bit more creeped out than comforted.

“Where’s the data being stored? Who has access to it? Like, none of that’s being disclosed,” an IT worker in his 40s told Scene, standing in front of the camera on Thursday. “Is it going to police? Is it going to Google?”

“I’m not just worried about the hacking of the system—but what are they doing with that information?” he added.

“It’s all just a little dystopian for me.”

DCI said that the camera will be among the 2,800 camera feeds around Cleveland that officers can tap into at will, most likely with a company app.

In an analysis of crime in the past three months on Public Square, the difference between morning, day and night wasn’t all that glaring. Since July, seven assaults occurred there during the night and morning, CPD’s crime dashboard showed, while five happened during the day and evening. Three robberies happened during the day, and three at night. As did reports of vandalism.

More crime, the dashboard shows, is prone to happen on average in the nearby Flats East Bank and the Warehouse District.

“Hey man, crime is going to happen anyway,” a man in a red-and-black Nike hoodie said, in the shadow of the camera. “It doesn’t matter what you do.”

He looked up to the camera. “I don’t think it’s gonna last long, you know what I mean?”

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