McGinn says West Seattle surveillance cameras won't be turned on till privacy concerns are addressed
Wed, 02/13/2013
The surveillance cameras installed on the West Seattle waterfront are not currently operating and won't be turned on until the public has weighed in. In an interview with the West Seattle Herald's news partner Q13 Fox News the Mayor spoke one on one with news anchor Marni Hughes.
He said, "We’re not turning those cameras on … we’re not operating anything until the public has a thorough chance to weigh in and we can make a decision.”
The Seattle Police Department addressed some of these privacy concerns on Feb. 7 noting that the system will consist of 30 cameras 160 wireless access points, and “miles” of fiber optic cable, according to SPD, creating “a dedicated wireless network and view of Seattle’s shoreline during emergency responses …,” meaning it can be used beyond the scope of terrorist activity. That will include law enforcement’s ability to use any inadvertent recordings as evidence in the courts. So, if an assault or drug deal happened to be captured, for example, it becomes evidence if an arrest is made.