CCTV

Cameras will be installed at geographic places where gun violence, human trafficking, and other persistent felony crime is concentrated. Visit seattle.gov/cctv to see a map of camera locations. 

The cameras are part of the Technology-Assisted Crime Prevention Project, which outlined areas that have concentrated gun violence, human trafficking, and other persistent felony crimes. Please see seattle.gov/CCTV for locations of the cameras. This project is data-informed and guided. It will terminate if data suggests the technology is ineffective. 

Mayor Harrel’s 2024 budget included funding for CCTV cameras, which was adopted by the Seattle City Council. In October of 2024, the Seattle City Council authorized the CCTV camera pilot after reviewing a Surveillance Impact Report, as required by the 2023 City Council. 

No. SPD does not have the resources to monitor live camera feeds 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The majority of camera viewing will be in response to a 911 call to aid the police response. Live CCTV camera monitoring will be based on crime trends, crime concentration, significant events involving large numbers of people, and other factors.If you are witnessing a crime, call 911 immediately – do not expect the CCTV cameras to be monitored by SPD staff. 

No. SPD will not monitor or record audio.  

Retention of recorded video from the cameras will be up to 30 days, except for video clips showing criminal activity which may be transferred to SPD’s secure digital evidence locker. 

The cameras and associated software have the ability to use object recognition, which will be turned on. For example, if a shooting suspect is driving a blue pickup, the cameras will be able to provide the times that a blue pickup was in view of a camera to help investigators. The cameras will not use facial recognition. 

No. SPD will not utilize facial recognition at any time with the CCTV cameras. 

No. The CCTV cameras will not have automated license plate reader technology. 

CCTV cameras will face toward the street, sidewalk, and other public areas only, where there is generally no expectation of privacy.   

No.  As part of the SPD camera installation and set-up process, a digital mask will be applied to the video by Seattle IT technicians for windows above the ground level that are obvious residences. This digital mask will block the area in front of the mask, rendering sightlines into windows impossible in real-time or recorded viewing. The mask cannot be “undone” by any technology and will remain on any recordings. 

Data obtained from the cameras may be shared outside SPD with the other agencies, entities, or individuals within legal guidelines or as required by law. Discrete pieces of data collected by CCTV cameras may be shared with other law enforcement agencies in wanted bulletins, in connection with law enforcement investigations jointly conducted with those agencies, or in response to requests from law enforcement agencies investigating criminal activity as governed by SPD Policy 12.050 and 12.110. All requests for data from Federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) authorities are referred to the Mayor’s Office Legal Counsel in accordance with the Mayoral Directive, dated February 6, 2018. 

No.  In accordance with state law (RCW 10.96.040) and State and City public policy, SPD will not assist in any enforcement investigations that involve abortion or gender-affirming care.  

SPD does not and will not participate in immigration enforcement but may be compelled to share information under federal law. However, SPD cannot share information it does not have.  SPD policy prohibits any member of the department from inquiring about immigration status, and SPD does not collect or maintain records related to immigration status unless that information is affirmatively provided to the department for reasons beneficial to the undocumented individual, such as U-Visa or T-Visa certification requests, which are exempt from public disclosure under Washington law.  Under no circumstance can an individual be compelled to provide SPD with any information relating to their immigration status.   

No. Public access to the camera feeds will not be available. 

Criminal defense attorneys will have access to CCTV camera footage as part of the criminal prosecution discovery process. 

SPD will conduct regular analyses to identify any impact of CCTV placement on the dispersion or displacement of crime to other areas. In addition, the City’s Office of Inspector General has retained outside subject-matter experts to evaluate the effectiveness of the Technology Assisted Crime Prevention Project overall. 

Successful implementation of CCTV will be indicated by a decrease in violent crime, priority one response times, no increase or a decline in measures of police over-presence, measure of disparate impact, and an increase in perceptions of trust and safety.  These measures will be posted on seattle.gov/cctv.  

No. The CCTV cameras will not be used for traffic infractions. SPD has dedicated photo traffic enforcement cameras that are separate cameras and software. 

You can send queries to SPD_CCTV@seattle.gov. It may take several days for questions to be answered.