Some street lights have hidden cameras for traffic monitoring, law enforcement, and public safety, capturing data without being easily noticed.
Streetlights are supposed to light the way, right? But in some parts of the U.S., they’ve been doing something else too — keeping a close watch. Several years ago, hidden surveillance cameras started appearing inside ordinary-looking streetlights. Federal agencies like the DEA and ICE quietly installed them through private contracts, and the general public was kept entirely out of the loop. So basically, the streetlights seemed harmless and a part of basic infrastructure. But silently, they were also a part of a high-tech spy surveillance system.
The discovery came through federal procurement records, and not the public announcements. A small Texas-based company, Cowboy Streetlight Concealments LLC, was paid thousands of dollars by both ICE and the DEA to build hidden camera housings. ICE alone spent nearly $28,000, with purchases tied to offices in Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio. Meanwhile, the DEA paid around $22,000, with the funding traced back to its Office of Investigative Technology in Virginia. According to the company’s co-owner, „Things are always being watched“ — and that’s as much as she was willing to share.
