Seattle City Council Public Safety Committee Chair Councilman Bob Kettle is calling on Mayor Katie Wilson to take action on public safety and turn on the city’s crime surveillance cameras.
Mayor Wilson ordered the cameras to be turned off pending the results of a civil liberties, privacy, and data security audit. While critics continue to express privacy concerns, a recent Metro Chamber of Commerce poll showed strong public support for the surveillance system.
Kettle criticized the pause of the program, adding that residents want immediate steps taken to address crime.
“The public isn’t asking for a debate on public safety,” Kettle said. “They want action now to solve it.”
Kettle noted a recent shootout in the streets outside a popular Pioneer Square bar occurred near one of those disabled cameras. It happened early Sunday morning outside Cowgirls Inc. No arrests have been made.
In response, Wilson defended her decision to wait for the review before expanding the city’s surveillance network.
“We are staying the course,” Wilson said. “We’re going to be getting the results of our privacy data security audit, I believe, by the end of September. And so at that point, we’ll be evaluating and making a decision about the camera expansion.”
Critics have raised concerns about data privacy and misuse.
On Friday, Kettle called the ongoing privacy audit redundant, given the research conducted when the city first approved the camera program.
He noted existing safeguards designed to prevent misuse, including that the cameras don’t use facial recognition technology and a policy allowing only one sworn officer inside the Real-Time Crime Center.
Kettle said the decision to keep the cameras off stems from political pushback rather than technical flaws.
“This is less to do with the system,” Kettle said. “And more to do with those that are opposed to the system and those that have the ear of the mayor.”
Beyond the camera dispute, Kettle told reporters he doesn’t believe Wilson’s administration has a public safety plan comparable to what the City Council has developed.
“There is no plan,” Kettle said, later adding, “We cannot remain a city of two minds where we end up not going anywhere. This is one reason why our challenges in public safety are chronic.”
Wilson rejected Kettle’s assessment, explaining that her administration addresses safety through multiple avenues including transportation, gun violence and homelessness.
“Public safety is a multi-faceted issue and a very, very high priority for my office,” Wilson said, noting that her team is advancing a wide set of strategies to make progress in the coming years.
As an example, she pointed to the executive order she announced Friday to accelerate work to improve pedestrian safety in Seattle.
“There are many different areas that we need to tackle, and we are,” she said. “And I’m looking forward to the progress that we’re going to be making in the years to come.”
The discussion comes nearly a month after a mass shooting at the Seattle Center, which left three people dead.
An independent review is currently looking into the response to the shooting, both by Seattle Police and Mayor Wilson’s office.
At the time, Seattle Police said they were still looking for a possible third suspect in relation to the shooting. As of Friday, SPD had no updates to share on that search.
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