SEATTLE — The city of Seattle put a 60-day pause on data collected by closed-circuit security (CCTV) cameras and the cameras that automatically read license plates on the streets.
The Seattle City Council unanimously voted Tuesday to put anything collected by those cams on pause.
The city currently has 62 CCTV cameras in use in high-crime areas of downtown, Aurora Avenue North, and the Chinatown-International District.
The city published a map on its website showing exactly where they are and more on how they work, and who has access to the video.
Some are worried that those cameras could be tapped into by federal agents to track people for immigration enforcement.
In a town hall, Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson said the CCTV cameras were only used by the police department and not by any other agency, but she stopped the expansion of more cameras to audit how the data is processed and who can see it.
A previous council vote allowed Seattle police to use 145 traffic cameras around the city.
Police Chief Shon Barnes said the cameras have helped track suspects in 10 homicide cases.
The cameras they have now only cover one percent of the city.