Seattle’s $1.8 Million Plan Raises Privacy Concerns

If you've ever watched the British TV show MI 5 you know that video surveillance in London is a prime plot driver in the series. It shows a fictitious MI 5 tracking criminals through the city and determining where they are in order to make arrests.  

Continuous video surveillance is also a plot driver of some science fiction novels that I've read over the years. Putting forth the idea that we as a public will be willing to give up some personal rights in order to maintain security. 

Recently, $1.8 million was allocated to the city of Seattle to install surveillance cameras in heavy crime districts in Seattle. 

According to seattletimes.com,
‘As Seattle police use newly installed cameras to watch over areas with high crime rates, civil liberty advocates have expressed concerns over personal privacy and more government intrusion into everyday lives.’ 

The Seattle Police Department is excited about the addition of these cameras because they believe it can help them watch for crime, track perpetrators, provide evidence and protect the public. 

The city has installed multiple cameras in the Chinatown international district and also in North Seattle along Aurora Ave. Both these areas are considered high crime zones. All the cameras are in public places, and all the camera locations also have signs informing the public that they are there. 

To say that the ACLU is unhappy with this is an understatement. They've been handing out flyers, distributing them to residents, and asking them to show up at Seattle City Council meetings to comment. 

To my way of thinking, the die has already been cast. If you are living in a modern urban environment, there will be both private and public surveillance going on. The city is trying to say they are not the bad guys.  

They are trying to watch the bad guys. 

Seattle police cameras, now up and running, draw constitutional concerns | The Seattle Times 
OIG Reports - OIG | seattle.gov