Overview

• After nearly two hours of public comment, the council voted 5–2 to refer the York SafeNet resolution back to committee for consideration on Oct. 29.
• York SafeNet, a newly formed 501(c)(3) with a seven-member board, seeks permission to use city poles and rights-of-way to operate the system independently of the city and police.
• The plan calls for 140 cameras across the city, with police required to request footage from the nonprofit rather than accessing it directly.
• The proposal estimates $4.5 million to build and run the network for three years through private fundraising, with a staged rollout that includes selecting a partner by Oct. 30 and beginning a roughly one-year build in November if approved.
• Supporters including the mayor and police cite investigative value and a Lancaster precedent generating over 2,400 pieces of evidence annually, while the NAACP York Branch opposes the project on civil-rights, equity, privacy, and accountability grounds and urges investment in existing programs.