The City of Cambridge will convene the second of four Cambridge Civic Assembly sessions on Saturday, November 7, 2026, to examine public safety technologies and develop recommendations for the City Council. The session runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and offers both virtual and in-person access.
Assembly members will focus on assessing public safety technologies, reviewing what the evidence says about these tools, hearing community and advocacy perspectives, and participating in group discussion. The 40 residents selected for the assembly were chosen through a lottery process designed to reflect the community’s demographic diversity, cambridgema.gov reported.
Gunshot Detection and Overnight Park Surveillance on the Agenda
The assembly’s work centers on two specific technologies: gunshot detection systems and overnight video surveillance of public parks in Cambridge. Over four sessions, members will learn from subject matter experts and deliberate to shape recommendations for the City Council.
Presenters at the November 7 session include professors from Northeastern University and the University of Pennsylvania, representatives from The Black Response, the Central Square Business Improvement District, and Digital 4th, the Cambridge Police Department, a technologist, community members, and residents with lived experience.
Public Can Observe Sessions via Zoom and 22-CityView
All four Civic Assembly sessions are open to the public for observation and broadcast through Zoom and 22-CityView. Members of the public can register for the November 7 virtual meeting using the webinar registration link posted by the city.
The 40 assembly members will deliver their recommendations to the Cambridge City Council upon completing the four-session process.