Man who caught scrutinized USS Pinckney refit says his cameras are being targeted, once again
SAN DIEGO — A local man whose cameras livestream the San Diego Bay says he’s being told to take them down by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS).
The organization claims it’s over privacy concerns, but the man who owns them says you can’t stop people from filming an open area.
“It’s been 23 years that these cameras have been up. The only times that they’ve been taken down is after the navy embarrassed themselves,” shared Barry Bahrami, who runs San Diego Web Cam which acts as a public livestream service along the bay.
His service captured a viral video that sparked an online media frenzy showing a top-heavy refit of the USS Pinckney as it crossed through the San Diego Bay.
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“The Navy spent a whole bunch of money to upgrade the destroyer, it was very important to them,” Bahrami went on to say.
His cameras that captured the vessel’s new look were mounted at the Kona Kai resort just across the way.
“The comments online were pretty negative,” Bahrami explained.
Soon after, Bahrami claims the NCIS verbally advised the resort to take the cameras down for protection reasons, which then led Kona Kai to shut them off.
“There are more cameras out there, but the only ones they’re coming after, are ours,” he told FOX 5.
Whether it be a sunset or a military vessel, Charlie Ryan also shares the beauty of the bay through the eye of his lens.
“The Navy ships that pass by everyday were low fruit,” said Ryan.
He even captured the USS Pickney as it crossed through the harbor, but his images come without scrutiny.
“I don’t think there should be a restriction on military ships passing through a public space,” Ryan continued.
FOX 5 legal analyst Wendy Patrick weighed in on the matter, suggesting it’s one between public interest and privacy; a debate that first brewed between the NCIS and San Diego Web Cam a year ago.
“For the most part, when they’re talking about webcams, were talking about large public spaces,” Patrick explained. “So, if one of them goes down, people that are used to watching it might question, ‘well why?’ ‘It was in a public space, it didn’t capture anything private.’ And that’s where the conversation starts.”
Bahrami’s cameras were taken down at the Cabrillo National Monument shortly after catching a near collision of two naval warships in November. At the time, the Navy claimed it was for the purpose of the protection of military personnel from foreign eyes.
“Here we are in a public park, there is nowhere here where you can look and not see a military base,” Bahrami said.
FOX 5 did reach out to the NCIS for comment. The organization countered Bahrami’s claim.
“I can confirm that NCIS did not contact the Kona Kai and request that the cameras there be taken offline.
With regards to Cabrillo, NCIS expressed force protection concerns to the National Park Service related to the private webcams and YouTube channel, which provided 24-hour webcam monitoring of vessels and equities located aboard Naval Air Station North Island, including aircraft hangers/flight lines, Naval Base Point Loma submarine assets, and the tracking of military personnel working aboard Naval Base Coronado. Ultimately the decision to remove the webcams was made by NPS [National Park Service].”
— Jeff Houston, Division Chief, NCIS Office of Communications
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