Two months ago, we and other media got a look inside SPD’s Real-Time Crime Center, in which SPD tracks incidents shortly after they happen. The center’s access to cameras will expand after two City Council votes tonight – here’s the meeting video:
The votes (on legislation linked on agenda page 7) followed more than 100 people speaking almost entirely against the expansion, but only two councilmembers – citywide rep Alexis Mercedes Rinck and Northwest Seattle’s Dan Strauss – voted no. Many of the people who urged the council to reject the bills said it wasn’t even so much the cameras themselves that they opposed, but the possibility that the images and information they gather could be used against particularly vulnerable residents such as immigrants and LGBTQIA+ people. Councilmembers, particularly Public Safety Committee chair Bob Kettle, insisted that the bills have more safeguards than similar ones in other cities. But more than anything, the councilmembers who supported the surveillance expansion said that they were most moved by crime victims they’ve heard from and met with, and they felt cameras would be an important “investigative tool.” They also said immigrants are concerned about crime too, not just federal enforcement; District 1 Councilmeber Rob Saka said he’s sensitive to immigrants’ concerns since he represents areas including South Park and High Point, and is the son of an immigrant himself.
While one part of the legislation will install new SPD cameras in new locations – the “Capitol Hill Nightlife Area,” the stadium area, and the Garfield High School vicinity – another part will connect the Real-Time Crime Center to ~150 SDOT cameras (city traffic cams are mapped here, including the ones in West Seattle). The camera’s project’s goals are stated in one of the agenda documents:
In regard to overall outcomes, the goals of this project are:
1. Reduction in gun violence, human trafficking, and other persistent felony crimes in selected areas.
2. Reduction in 911 calls in selected areas.
3. To minimize crime displacement outside of selected areas.
4. Improved police response times, crime clearance rates, and community satisfaction measures.SPD will also report the rate of arrests and prosecutions that occur as a result of the initial pilot and any negative unintended consequences, such as over or under policing. The program will be data-informed and guided. It will terminate if data suggests the technology is ineffective.
Five amendments were considered before the final vote; the one that passed would enable a 60-day “pause” in the program if there was evidence the data could be or was being accessed for civil immigration enforcement.
