A covert security camera system was spotted on a telephone pole on SE 67th ave in Portland. The camera is concealed inside of a box that is attached to the top of a telephone pole. The box is designed to look like some kind of electrical equipment. The front of the box has writing that says “Danger” and “High Voltage.” The bottom of the box has a cable running out of it which appears to attach to the electrical service line. There is a rectangular black square in the center of the box and on the sides of the box. Based on similar devices, this is likely a one-way window for the camera to look out of.
It is not clear which law enforcement agency had the camera installed, but it points directly at the home of an ICE agent who was doxxed a few months back. It is attached to a telephone pole on the East side SE 67th between SE Raymond and SE Mitchell Ct. The camera would have a good overview of anyone walking or driving down the street.
Cops regularly use covert cameras to monitor people or locations of interest. In 2015, 150 pole cameras were installed in Portland (90 by the Portland Police and 60 by other agencies). Police can install these cameras without warrants. Earlier this year, federal law enforcement installed a pole camera to surveil an alleged drug trafficker in Oregon. In 2022, the FBI used a pole camera to monitor a SE Portland residence as part of an inter-agency investigation. Pole cameras have also been used to spy on anarchists. In Atlanta, multiple cameras were spotted outside of homes and a social center connected to the Cop City struggle .
Utility boxes like the one found in SE Portland are a common concealment method for cameras, but they are not the only method used by law enforcement. Companies (including Eugene, Oregon based company Obsidian Integration) also manufacture camera units disguised as transformers and cameras that look like streetlights, to name a few. Most of the pole cameras used by law enforcement can be spotted with a keen eye and a basic knowledge of electrical and telecoms infrastructure.
submitted anonymously