Rules Committee sends airport surveillance‑technology policies to full board with positive recommendation

The Rules Committee on Nov. 6 voted unanimously to forward an ordinance that approves airport surveillance‑technology policies to the full Board of Supervisors with a positive recommendation.

Airport staff described three distinct technologies under review. Guy Clark said the first concerns application‑based commercial transportation management (for Uber, Lyft and similar companies) to enforce pick‑up/drop‑off areas and to manage billing similar to taxi fees. The second covers electronic toll or fast‑track readers to read license plates in parking facilities and charge patrons automatically.

The third is a proposed gunshot‑detection pilot. Clark said the system uses an acoustic algorithm to detect loud noises — including gunshots or glass breakage — triangulate an approximate origin and send text alerts to first responders and the airport’s security operations center. “It’s just literally a text message that would get sent to our first responders so they would know what kind of gun they’re walking to,” Clark said; he added the sensor does not integrate with cameras.

Chair Matt Dorsey asked staff to limit remarks given a packed agenda and, with no public commenters on the item, moved to send the item to the full board with a positive recommendation. Vice Chair Shamann Walton and Supervisor Asha Safaei voted with him; the motion passed without objection.

Airport staff said follow‑up questions can be submitted by email and that technical staff — including the city’s Chief Information and Technology (COIT) director Jillian Johnson — were on standby to respond.