Seattle adding surveillance cameras to crime-fighting efforts in 3 neighborhoods

The Seattle City Council voted overwhelmingly in favor of adding surveillance cameras to the city's crime-fighting toolbelt.

"This is an important piece of technology that can help our [police] department be a bit of a force multiplier, if you will, and help us more quickly and efficiently investigate and solve crimes with the staffing challenges," Councilmember Rob Saka said before voting.

"It is an important tool to help address the fundamentals of public safety in our community."

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The Council voted 7-1 to approve two ordinances establishing a surveillance camera pilot — one for using closed-circuit TV cameras, and another for using Real-Time Crime Center software to record, store, and analyze video. Councilmember Tammy Morales was the lone no vote. The pilot will test the cameras in three locations where Seattle Police Department data indicates that crime is concentrated: Aurora Avenue North, Chinatown-International District, and Third Avenue through downtown.

Proponents of the camera program argue that the system will help mitigate Seattle's shortage of police officers and help combat human trafficking, gun crime, and "other persistent felony crimes."

Seattle's CCTV crime pilot program

The surveillance technology includes a closed circuit TV camera system in areas "where gun violence, human trafficking, and persistent felony crime is concentrated," according to Seattle's 2024 Surveillance Impact Report.

Signs alerting the public to the cameras will be posted. The cameras will be aimed at streets, sidewalks, and high-crime areas.

In addition to city owned cameras, the city wants to include privately owned security systems in the mix, which would be voluntarily shared. Such cameras could show video of areas around storefronts. The Impact Report also states that the cameras will help counter crime after years of low SPD staffing.

The software for the cameras will have the ability to analyze video to identify clothing or items people are carrying. AI facial recognition is not part of the pilot.

According to the impact report: "The theory of change supporting the pilot project is that these technologies (1) bolster police effectiveness in public places where crime is concentrated when used with other crime prevention efforts, including increased police patrols, enhanced lighting, graffiti mitigation, and others (CPTED), (2) deter criminal behavior when the public is aware of the cameras, and (3) gather evidence to hold offenders accountable. These efforts can improve public safety and enhance the public’s confidence in the city government’s ability to maintain safe neighborhoods."

There is $1.5 million included in SPD’s 2024 budget for the CCTV program.

While the current pilot program focuses on three areas in Seattle, the approved ordinance also directs SPD to look into the costs and feasibility of using them in other corners of the city, "including but not limited to the Alki and Harbor Avenue areas of West Seattle."

The ordinance also asks SPD to "evaluate the potential use of Closed-Circuit Television Cameras for a range of public safety concerns beyond those specific crimes identified" in the pilot (gun crimes, human trafficking), including, but not limited to racing and "related community safety challenges."

The city's impact report points to other cities that are already using similar CCTV programs, such as Atlanta, Chicago, LA, New York, Philadelphia, Portland, San Diego, and San Francisco.

Debating crime-countering tech

Seattle's pilot program comes shortly after Tacoma began using another form of surveillance technology. Last month, Tacoma began using ShotSpotter, which listens for gunfire and alerts police to the general area of the shots. Tacoma got $800,000 from the Department of Justice to implement the technology.

ShotSpotter is planned for two-square miles in Tacoma, starting with a stretch of Hosmer Street. The same tech has previously been proposed for Seattle multiple times (Mayor Bruce Harrell pushed for its use in 2022), but has frequently received pushback from some members of the public, with concerns around effectiveness, privacy, and equity.

There was public pushback again within the council chambers Tuesday, as the Council considered the surveillance cameras.

Before voting, Councilmember Tammy Morales said that the pilot is opposed by the Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network, the ACLU of Washington, Planned Parenthood, the Chief Seattle Club, El Centro de la Rasa, the Gender Justice League, and others. She argued that data from the cameras could be used to circumvent "our state’s sanctuary protections, such as Keep Washington Working and the Washington Shield Law."

"Additionally, this software allows private cameras to opt in to the system, which would lead to an even greater expansion of the surveillance capabilities of SPD and the purview of this particular ordinance," Morales said. "...immigrants, women, trans and queer communities, are facing increasing threats. This is not the time to expand the use of surveillance technologies that could undermine the sanctuary protections that our communities rely on.”

Councilmember Maritza Rivera pointed out that Mayor Bruce Harrell sent a letter to the Council, stating that he has made a commitment with SPD to ensure the police department will not cooperate in criminal or civil enforcement of laws related to immigration, or reproductive and/or gender affirming health care services.

Councilmember Saka also argued that, "although ‘technology’ is in the words of this work before us, there is nothing particularly new, novel, or innovative about the proposed technology that’s before us."

During public comment time, resident Matt Offenbacher urged the Council to reject the pilot program and respect "the process and the voices of the thousands of Seattleites, the community orgs, the Office of Civil Rights, the mayor’s own working group who have all said that this technology’s potential to do harm is greater than any hypothetical benefit."

But there were also resident voices urging the Council to vote in favor of the pilot.

“It’s gotten so bad," Jay, a CID resident, told the Council during public comment time. "The new park they opened in New Saigon is infested with people openly using drugs ... It is unsafe for me and many of the residents in my building to walk around in our own neighborhood. At least half the people in my building … are retired. They can’t walk safely at night. There is just too much street crime and we need more tools to protect the residents. So please vote in favor; I am asking you to vote in favor of the CCTV bill."

Gary Lee, co-chair of CID public safety council, noted that he submitted approximately 750 signatures from CID residents, workers, and businesses in support of the camera pilot.

“They are afraid of being in the CID," Lee said. "We feel that it is needed. The city needs it. SPD needs it. The people of the CID need this program … to see if it works, we think it will.”

Seattle's Office of Civil Rights (OCR) issued a report addressing the surveillance cameras, stating a range of concerns and recommendations. The office stated that the technologies are "not effective for combatting gun violence and human trafficking," and also that placing any cameras in BIPOC neighborhoods will "worsen racial disparities in criminal legal system." The report further pointed to other concerns and recommendations:

• The potential for surveillance data could be used by people "looking to prosecute gender-affirming care, reproductive care, or immigration violations." The ordinance requires that the CCTV software vendor must notify the city if it receives a subpoena for data for any reason, "including purposes related to reproductive healthcare or gender-affirming medical services" and also requires the vendor to "retain legal counsel to challenge any such warrant or subpoena and advise of outcome or existence of warrant after expiration."
• The OCR recommended tracking results of the program and reporting that information to the public. The ordinance states that SPD will manage a public dashboard with information about camera use.
• The OCR recommended that a limit on how long data will be stored, and limit the CCTV use to serious violent offenses. The ordinance states that video recordings will be stored, encrypted, on the cameras themselves for 30 days before being deleted. Private video volunteered to police department will be held for 30 days.

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This is not Seattle's first experience with using cameras for enforcement efforts. The city has long used red light cameras. There are also dozens of traffic cameras already dispersed throughout the city and pointed at streets. King County has a similar collection of cameras, and the Washington State Department of Transportation also has a system of traffic cameras throughout the region. These camera systems are public and can be viewed online, whereas Seattle's new pilot is for a closed circuit system, meaning it cannot be viewed publicly.

In 2023, the Council approved the use of cameras to counter street racing in areas of the city known for excessive speeding.