Matters ▸ Attachment
STIR - Thermal Imaging Monocular - UPDATED 1.8.26 — File 26-0093
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APPENDIX A: SURVEILLANCE TECHNOLOGY IMPACT REPORT
Department or Division:
Somerville Police Department (SPD)
Compliance Officer (name and
position):
Captain Sean Sheehan
Submitted by:
Captain Sean Sheehan
Date:
January 8, 2026
Surveillance Technology:
Thermal Imager Camera
x
Please identify the purpose(s) of the proposed surveillance technology.
Select ALL that apply by entering “X” in the left column.
x
Identifying and preventing threats to persons and property and preventing injury to persons or
significant damage to property
x
Identifying, apprehending, and prosecuting criminal offenders
x
Gathering evidence of violations of any law in criminal, civil, and administrative proceedings
x
Providing information to emergency personnel
Documenting and improving performance of City employees
Executing financial transactions between the City and any individual engaged in a financial
transaction with the City
Preventing waste, fraud, and abuse of City resources
Maintaining the safety and security of City employees, students, customers, and City-owned or
controlled buildings and property
Enforcing obligations to the City
Operating vehicles for City business
Analyzing and managing service delivery
Communicating among City employees, with citizens, or with third parties
Surveying and gathering feedback from constituents
Other (Describe):
If the surveillance technology is used for a purpose not listed above, does the purpose comply
with the surveillance use policy? _x__ Yes ___ No
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Complete ALL of the following items related to the proposed surveillance technology. Be as specific as possible.
If an item is not applicable, enter “N/A.” Do NOT leave fields blank.
1. Information describing the surveillance technology and how it works:
The FLIR Scion PTM366 25mm Manual Thermal Imaging Monocular “uses a Boson thermal core to detect
infrared radiation (heat) and convert it into a visible image, allowing users to see in complete darkness and
through obscurants like fog or smoke”. The monocular is a hand held device which can be used to scan
subject areas for heat signatures. The decision to deploy the monocular will be made by a Supervisor assigned
to the SPD Special Response Team (SRT).
a. Authorized use – the uses that are authorized, the rules and processes required before that use, and the
uses that are prohibited (10.64.b.2):
Use of this technology would fall under the City’s Surveillance Technology Use Policy which articulates the
rules, purposes, and policy of using video surveillance equipment. The SRT will use and store the device.
Among other uses, the device will be used as an aid in searching for missing children, missing elderly
persons and possible suspects of crimes.
b. Training – the training, if any, required for any individual authorized to use the surveillance technology or
to access information collected by the surveillance technology, including whether there are training
materials (10.64.b.9):
Use of this technology falls under the guidelines established in the City’s Surveillance Technology Use
Policy, which provides the following in regards to training - “The Chief of Police, or their designee, shall
ensure that all department personnel successfully complete training which the Chief of Police deems
necessary to successfully operate and monitor Video Surveillance Equipment”.
2. Information on the proposed purpose(s) for the surveillance technology (10.64.b.1):
The Monocular would be used to search for missing individuals and for criminal suspects.
3. Information describing the kind of surveillance the surveillance technology is going to conduct and what
surveillance data is going to be gathered (10.64.b.3):
Scenarios that may benefit from the use of the FLIR Monocular include the search for missing children,
missing elderly persons or the search for possible suspects of crimes.
a. Data access – the individuals who can access or use the collected surveillance data, and the rules and
processes required before access or use of the information (10.64.b.4):
Use of this technology falls under the guidelines established in the City’s Surveillance Technology Use
Policy. Police employees may only have access to Surveillance Data when such access is necessary for
their official duties.
b. Data protection – the safeguards that protect information from unauthorized access, including, but not
limited to, encryption, access-control, and access-oversight mechanisms; (10.64.b.5)
Use of this technology falls under the guidelines established in the City’s Surveillance Technology Use
Policy. No Surveillance Data shall be stored, accessed, or transmitted without proper encryption, access
and password controls.
c. Data retention – the time period, if any, for which information collected by the surveillance technology
will be routinely retained, the reason that retention period is appropriate to further the purpose(s), the
process by which the information is regularly deleted after that period has elapsed, and the conditions
that must be met to retain information beyond that period (10.64.b.6):
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Video would be preserved for the duration of the investigation and if applicable the duration of any trial and
appeal. as evidence.
d. Public access – if and how collected surveillance data can be accessed by members of the public,
including criminal defendants (10.64.b.7):
Video would be subject to discovery rules. All public records requests would be vetted through the city’s
law department at the conclusion of the investigation.
e. Third-party data-sharing – if and how other city or non-city entities can access or use the surveillance
data, including any required justification and legal standard necessary to do so, and any obligation(s)
imposed on the recipient of the surveillance data (10.64.b.8):
Video evidence could be shared depending on the investigation and if other law enforcement agencies
are involved or affected or if there is a public safety threat. When submitting Images/video as evidence
for a criminal case, the data would be shared with the District Attorney’s office in accordance with
Massachusetts Rules of Evidence. Images could be shared if there was a joint investigation with another
Law Enforcement agency such as the State Police or the FBI. Images would only be shared with
authorized members of the investigating group who had permission to view the video evidence. In the
event that a direct threat to officer safety is observed from the Thermal Imaging Monocular, the
supervising officer would authorize the dissemination of this particular threat to our regional partners
through our Crime Analyst(s).
4. The location(s) it may be deployed and when:
This monocular would only be deployed at the time and location and at the direction of an SRT supervisor
who would be responsible for the operation.
5. A description of the privacy and anonymity rights affected and a mitigation plan describing how the
department’s use of the equipment will be regulated to protect privacy, anonymity, and limit the risk of
potential abuse:
This monocular will be deployed in public areas where there is no expectation of privacy.
6. The potential impact(s) on privacy in the city; the potential impact on the civil rights and liberties of any
individuals, communities or groups, including, but not limited to, communities of color or other marginalized
communities in the city, and a description of whether there is a plan to address the impact(s):
Under SPD General Order #115 entitled ‘Biased Based Policing’ the SPD expresses its commitment to
preserving and respecting the Constitutional rights of all the members of the community. The SPD does not
endorse, train, teach, support, or condone any type of bias, stereotyping, or racial and gender profiling by its
employees.
7. An estimate of the fiscal costs for the surveillance technology, including initial purchase, personnel and other
ongoing costs, and any current or potential sources of funding:
The monocular was purchased with UASI funding when the department acquired the Marine Vessel. When
the Marine Vessel was repurposed to another UASI agency, the monocular remained with the SPD. Somerville
is a Metro Boston Homeland Security Region community and as such, the monocular is a UASI regional asset,
SPD is only a custodian of the asset. There is no cost to the city for use of this technology.
8. An explanation of how the surveillance use policy will apply to this surveillance technology and, if it is not
applicable, a technology-specific surveillance use policy:
The use of the Thermal Imaging Monocular will be governed by City’s Surveillance Technology Use Policy.
a. Oversight – the mechanisms to ensure that the surveillance use policy is followed, including, but not
limited to, identifying personnel assigned to ensure compliance with the policy, internal record keeping
of the use of the technology or access to information collected by the surveillance technology, technical
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measures to monitor for misuse, any independent person or entity with oversight authority, and the
sanctions for violations of the policy (10.64.b.10):
This technology it is under the direction and authorization of a supervisor from the SRT unit. The
Surveillance Technology Use Policy, all SPD policies and all applicable Massachusetts laws apply. Failure to
adhere to policy and misuse of this technology would result in discipline up to and including termination
depending on the violations.