Comments on: New Seattle Police cameras: Q/A with the assistant chief in charge

By: a little bird

a little bird — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 16:51:56 +0000

Why is the SPD involving itself in other jurisdictions, e.g. the port police, the coast guard? They are not telling the whole story.

By: Mike

Mike — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 03:19:20 +0000

Neighbor, you obviously were born in 2008.

By: Neighbor

Neighbor — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 21:35:00 +0000

@ Mike-the thing with treason is that it has to be proven by a court of law. This new little nugget reveals that the government has absolutely no reason to provide any justification to killing a US citizen, other than someone deemed him/her a threat. If this doesn’t strike you as stunningly anti-American then perhaps you should review what the Revolutionary War was about.This administration has gone where no other administration has, murdering US citizens including a 16 year old child the day after killing his father. No trial, no jury, just a single man, if we are to believe it is indeed Obama who gave the kill order. Why would any American who loves thier country think is lawful under our Constitutiion?

@ Phil- thank you, you rock!

By: Mike

Mike — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 20:58:35 +0000

CE, hate to tell you but even without the recent scare tactic in the media, treason has always had a penalty of death if the government feels you deserve it.

http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/2381

By: gatewooder

gatewooder — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 18:17:23 +0000

Hopefully the camera network will fill in some of the empty spots on our public waterfront. Maybe that will make those feeling they have the need the privacy to discharge weapons on Alki Beach think twice before they squeeze the trigger.

By: CE

CE — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 15:47:16 +0000

Thank you WSB for your work on this story and getting it posted.

By: CE

CE — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 15:38:03 +0000

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/05/us/politics/us-memo-details-views-on-killing-citizens-in-al-qaeda.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_20130205&_r=1&

This article from the Times today highlights why we should be concerned about our growing lack of privacy. Any American citizen the government deems an imminent terrorist threat can be lawfully killed by the government without a trial. Who gets to decide who is a threat? We are on a slippery slope.

By: Greg

Greg — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 15:12:52 +0000

This reeks of privacy concerns.

“Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both.” -Ben Franklin

By: Phil Mocek

Phil Mocek — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 08:29:44 +0000

I also requested the following public records:

* roster of members of the wireless mesh surveillance camera network steering committee,
* agendas for meetings of the committee,
* minutes of meetings of the committee,
* e-mail, memos, and other correspondence between the steering committee and Paul A. McDonagh #4708 and/or Monty E. Moss #5598 of Seattle Police Department,
* and E-mail, memos, and other correspondence to or from Paul McDonagh and/or Monty Moss regarding the wireless mesh network or components thereof,
along with any associated metadata.

By: Mike

Mike — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 06:47:04 +0000

2 thoughts
.
1) DHS has some reasoning for installation of these cameras, and you’ll never get to know why.
.
2) DHS needed to use funds before 2012 budgets were being analyzed to provide funds for 2013 budgets and this was a quick way to use up funds so they get the full amount for 2013. (It’s not a joke, that’s how crap works)

By: Phil Mocek

Phil Mocek — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 06:12:09 +0000

Flynlo wrote, "Things that I would like to see published by SPD. Who manufactures the camera? What is the model number and specifications of the camera? Who is making the “mesh network” & what protocols are they are using? This info." On January 30, I filed a public records request for "purchase orders, maintenance contracts, owner's manuals, installation manuals, service manuals, technical specifications, usage policies, data access procedures, and data retention policies for the public surveillance cameras recently installed on Alki Beach in Seattle, along with all associated metadata." SPD's estimated date of completion is March 16. Interested parties can track this request at the link I provided, where the records will be posted when provided.

By: cwit

cwit — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 06:07:01 +0000

How are we even going to be sure they’re actually using that masking he’s speaking of? Are they going to publish screencaptures of all the cameras?

They changed the positions of the cameras on Alki because people could see that it was facing the wrong way but I wonder how long it would have taken had no citizens brought that to their attention.

By: bolo

bolo — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 05:59:25 +0000

A lot of non-answers to simple (yet important) questions. That must have been frustrating. The evasive answers can also lead one to an alternate theory: These are actually fake cameras, installed in plain view to deter crime (like the kind we buy to put over the garage door, etc.) and they had to ad-lib an explanation that would keep the public thinking that the cameras are actually functional. I don’t really buy that theory but then, I keep thinking, “How can they not know the answers to these simple questions?” It’s starting to really bother me.

By: me

me — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 05:47:24 +0000

@TR
I can email you the information that “flynio” requested above, if you like.

By: Anne

Anne — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 05:47:13 +0000

I don’t think cameras will necessarily PREVENT a crime but get a grip folks-they can sure be used as a tool to identify someone who commits one. In the London incident-weren’t the cameras used to help identify some the people responsible??-Isn’t that a good thing-I think it is.