The City Council gave final approval today to the plan for a Seattle Police pilot program to use surveillance cameras in four areas of the city. None of them are in West Seattle, but the bill includes an amendment from District 1 Councilmember Rob Saka requiring SPD to study possibly using cameras in the Alki/Harbor Avenue area. We reported on this after the Public Safety Committee, for which Saka serves as vice chair, passed it two weeks ago. Actually authorizing cameras in Alki/Harbor would require separate legislation at some point in the future, so don’t expect to see them any time soon. The areas of the city where the bill does authorize cameras are downtown, Aurora, Belltown, and Chinatown/ID. Opponents have voiced privacy concerns; Saka acknowledged cameras bring “potential non-trivial privacy challenges,” but he and colleagues including Public Safety Committee chair Councilmember Bob Kettle contend there will be plenty of safeguards and oversight. Saka also contended video is needed as a “force multiplier,” and noted that if it’s eventually deployed for Alki/Harbor, that could help people who are “suffering from PTSD … because of what’s been going on down here.” The discussion of this item starts 2 hours and 8 minutes into the Seattle Channel recording of the meeting.
West Seattle, Washington
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