Seattle poised to expand CCTV network after unanimous committee approval

(The Center Square) – A proposed expansion of Seattle’s closed-circuit television, or CCTV, technology to aid police in addressing crime faces one final city council vote despite continuing pushback from the public.

The Seattle Public Safety Committee unanimously gave a do-pass recommendation for both Council Bills 121052 and 121053. The former expands CCTV cameras into three areas: the Garfield-Nova High School area, the Stadium District, and the Capitol Hill nightlife area.

The latter bill would authorize the Seattle Police Department to access and continuously record Seattle Department of Transportation traffic management camera footage at the city’s Real-Time Crime Center.

Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell has previously said that the city needs every appropriate tool available to reduce gun violence, address human trafficking, and respond to areas where crime is concentrated.

Currently, 57 CCTV cameras are installed in the Chinatown-International District, downtown core, and along Aurora Avenue North.

Since the committee first discussed the expansion of the crime prevention technology, public commenters have continued to express privacy concerns.

Many people are particularly concerned that the Office of Immigration and Enforcement, or ICE, could receive access to CCTV cameras and track people living in the U.S. illegally.

Seattle city council members stressed that ICE will not have access to footage as Washington state and city laws prohibit officers and departments from proactively cooperating with federal immigration authorities. However, public commenters mentioned that previous discussions on the two bills included the mention of a very small chance of the federal government submitting a warrant for SPD footage from Axon, the third-party vendor the Seattle Police Department contracts with.

According to Greg Doss, the Seattle City Council's supervising analyst, the only changes to the CCTV data retention policies as part of the proposal are that there are now three new locations for CCTV cameras and SDOT cameras.

Seattle City Councilmember Bob Kettle acknowledged the privacy concerns raised by public commenters, but said the CCTV system is not criminalizing and incarcerating people, but rather the individuals committing the crimes.

Kettle also notes that the city implemented safeguards into the pilot program, including restricting access to the footage database to only analysts and detectives, with each individual access logged to track access to CCTV footage.

The two bills will face a final council vote on Sept. 2.