Washington, DC — New reporting by The Washington Post that the Trump administration is spending more than $343,000 on surveillance cameras at federal monuments and construction sites in Washington, D.C., raises serious questions about the Department of the Interior’s growing use of surveillance technology, its potential integration with artificial intelligence, and safeguards in place to protect the privacy of visitors and residents, according to Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER).

The Washington Post reports that the U.S. Park Police leased mobile surveillance camera trailers from LiveView Technologies for use near several of President Trump’s construction projects and monuments in the Washington, D.C., area. Cameras have been installed near Memorial Circle, the site of President Trump’s proposed triumphal arch, and near the recently regilded statues at Arlington Memorial Bridge. Park Police previously installed additional cameras around the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.

The deployment raises questions about how Interior intends to use the footage, whether it plans to integrate additional artificial intelligence capabilities, and what privacy protections are in place.

The cameras follow President Trump’s repeated accusations that vandals had damaged the Reflecting Pool. However, federal prosecutors dropped charges against those accused of vandalism after receiving National Park Service reports that the damage to the pool was caused by rushed repairs rather than deliberate destruction. The administration has continued to defend its claims.

“The public deserves to know why the Department of the Interior is deploying new surveillance systems that could be used to recognize, record and track people visiting some of our nation’s most prominent public spaces,” said Tony Irish, senior counsel at PEER. “We need answers about what information these cameras collect, how it is used, who has access to it, and what protections exist against abuse.”

PEER is calling on Interior to disclose whether the new surveillance systems use, or could be modified or integrated with, facial recognition, automated license plate recognition, or other AI-powered identification and tracking technologies. PEER is also seeking answers about what data is collected, how long it is retained, who can access it, whether it is shared with other agencies, and what privacy protections, independent oversight, and accountability mechanisms exist to prevent and address potential abuses.

“National parks and monuments belong to the American public,” Irish said. “People should be able to visit them without wondering whether their movements could be recorded, analyzed, or shared with other government agencies. Interior needs to explain what these systems are doing, who is overseeing their use, and how the public will be protected from abuse. This demands urgent congressional oversight.”

PEER protects public employees who protect our environment, natural resources, and public health. We support current and former environmental and public health professionals, land managers, scientists, enforcement officers, and other civil servants dedicated to upholding environmental laws and values across federal, state, local, and tribal governments.