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Technology to cast watchful gaze upon city employees

May 7, 2013 | 6:37 AM

Prince Albert will soon have a policy in place governing the use of information gathered from electronic devices used by city employees that are equipped with monitoring capabilities.

The city has already been supplying its workers with equipment such as cell phones with global positioning systems (GPS) built in, or in-vehicle communication devices and equipment that have GPS. And the city plans to continue to purchase more of these devices.

The executive committee voted Monday to forward the recommendation to approve the new policy to council for a final vote in an upcoming meeting.

“If we were to use the information gained through the monitoring capability of these devices, we have to have a policy in place supporting our use of that information,” human resources consultant Gordon Bothner told the executive committee.

Bothner said the information gleaned from the devices could help the city protect its workers from false claims made against them.

To that end, he presented what he said was the best example of this: The Saskatoon Police`s recent debunking of false accusations that its officers made 'Starlight Tours.'

The police department checked the GPS-enabled devices that was with the officers and proved that no vehicles travelled outside of the city`s limits.

But the devices would also help the city guard itself against time fraud – where employees clock in for work, but aren`t present at work, or are taking care of personal business on paid time. If there`s an indication this is going on, then the city could use the information from the device to prove that the employee was not out doing work.

“As John Diefenbaker said one time, 'this sounds like snoopocracy to me,'” Coun. Don Cody said.

Bothner countered that the information could also be used to improve efficiency. The city could use it to track the efficiency of routes its employees are driving, or when dealing with residents` complaints about lack of city services in their area.

“It certainly brings to light Big Brother is watching us,” Coun. Martin Ring said. But he said he understands the context of the policy and administration has clear expectations of what the information from the devices would be used for.

And there has to be a policy that`s clearly defined to protect the employees, city manager Robert Cotterill said. “Because I don`t want my managers going out there artificially using (it) to check up on whomever.”

He said the city has to be careful – for its employees – that it respects how the information is used.

“I do think it`s valuable to us to do a better job whether its in snow removal or other tasks that we do,” he said.
But Mayor Greg Dionne refused to “skirt” around the fact GPS tracking would be a monitoring tool for the employer.

“One of the biggest complaints I get are the six trucks sitting at Tim Hortons for 45 minutes or an hour when they`re allotted 15 minutes. And so I don`t know if we could freely use these devices, or if they`re going to be only used when we get a complaint,” he said.

Dionne likened the GPS-enabled devices to radar guns, which he said only speeders fear.

“And if you`re a speeder, you better look out for the radar gun.” He said it`s the same with GPS, giving an example of an employee being caught going to an unauthorized location with a city vehicle.

And Bothner`s report accompanying the draft policy points to the employees` representatives being aware of the policy, but not having taken issue with it.

“The attached Draft Policy presented for your consideration has been shared with the CUPE 160 and CUPE 882 Executive as well with Police and Fire. They are fully aware of the purpose and contents of the proposed policy and no concerns have been expressed,” he writes.

But Coun. Lee Atkinson pointed out that the policy would mean that not all employees would be treated the same.

“If it`s about efficiencies across the board, not everyone`s being treated the same, because not everyone has a cell phone, not everyone has a radio in their vehicle, others are doing other work.”

He said it`s not a stretch that the city would install such tracking abilities in other pieces of equipment.

Yet, the monitoring will stop at tracking – Bothner said that devices that are built with chips to record conversations within a certain radio range have been deactivated by the manufacturer prior to the city receiving them.

“We have no interest in eavesdropping on conversations.”

tjames@panow.com

On Twitter: @thiajames