Cambridge Hosting Next Civic Assembly Session on Public Safety Technologies November 7

The City of Cambridge will convene the second of four Cambridge Civic Assembly sessions on Saturday, November 7, 2026. The second session will orient Assembly members around assessing public safety technologies, what the evidence says about technologies, community and advocacy perspectives, and group discussion.

The Civic Assembly is bringing together 40 Cambridge residents selected through a lottery process designed to reflect the community's demographic diversity. Over four sessions, Assembly members will learn from subject matter experts, hear a range of perspectives, deliberate with one another, and develop recommendations for the City Council regarding public safety technologies, with a focus on gunshot detection systems and overnight video surveillance of public parks in Cambridge.

WHO

• 40 Civic Assembly members
• Civic Assembly Facilitators
• City of Cambridge Staff
• FIDE North America staff
• Presenters, including professors at Northeastern University and the University of Pennsylvania, the Black Response, Central Square Business Improvement District, Digital 4th, Cambridge Police Department, a technologist, community members, and residents with lived experience.

WHAT

Second session of the Cambridge Civic Assembly

The second session will orient Assembly members around assessing public safety technologies, what the evidence says about technologies, community and advocacy perspectives, and group discussion.

Topics will include:
• Assessing Public Safety Technologies
• Gunshot Detection Technology: How It Works and What the Evidence Says
• Overnight Park Cameras: How They Work and What the Evidence Says
• Overview of Cambridge Parks
• Lived Experiences: Families Affected by Gun Violence
• Community, Institutional and Advocacy Perspectives on Gunshot Detection, Parks and Public Safety
• Group Discussion
• View the complete agenda

WHEN

WHERE

• Cambridge Street Upper School & Community Complex, 840 Cambridge St. Cambridge, MA 02139
• Street parking is available

VIRTUAL & IN-PERSON ACCESS

All four sessions of the Cambridge Civic Assembly will be open to the public for observation and broadcast through Zoom and 22-CityView.

Members of the public can register or join the virtual meeting on Saturday, November 7 using the following link: Webinar Registration - Zoom.

Learn more about the Cambridge Civic Assembly at Cambridge Civic Assembly on Public Safety Technologies.