Public Space Cameras (CCTV)

The Seattle Police Department (SPD) is committed to addressing community privacy concerns around the deployment of public space cameras in the city. The following list of safeguards was taken from a September 9^th, 2025 letter view letter [PDF] from SPD Chief Barnes to the members of the Seattle City Council. The responses have been updated to reflect the current state of the program.

1.  SPD Limits Gathering and Retention of Video Evidence.
   
   

1. 1.  All CCTV cameras face public areas, and privacy masks are used to limit visibility into private areas.
      The technology systems are only used in public places such as sidewalks, streets, and parks to mitigate privacy concerns. Permanent privacy masks (they cannot be digitally removed after the fact) protect apartments, private homes, and non-public areas.
      
      
   2. Data is stored for the shortest time period that meets operational needs.
      Although the enabling ordinance permits retention of CCTV data for up to 30 days, SPD limits local storage retention to five days. Video evidence is moved from the camera’s local storage to Evidence.com when it is needed for an investigation and is then subject to the retention schedule for that investigation. This means that outside of specific known cases, data is not available after five days. The vast majority – over 95% - of video records are deleted with only those clips associated with an investigation and case being retained.
      
      
   3. The use of public space cameras is typically triggered by an emergency call for service.
      SPD cameras are not continuously monitored. Professional staff within SPD do not sit and observe cameras passively. They are accessed in response to a reported incident of crime or an emergent public safety threat. This targeted and restrained approach ensures the technology is used responsibly while giving officers the ability to act quickly and effectively.
      
      
2.  SPD Restricts Access to Data and Information in RTCC Systems.
   
   
   1. SPD strictly limits access to RTCC systems
      There are only 29 people who have access to FUSUS, the primary software supporting RTCC and its camera feeds. Of those, four are ITD employees, twenty-three are RTCC analysts, video specialists, and administrative support, and two are sworn members of the department – the Captain and Lieutenant that manage the RTCC. All 29 people have been backgrounded and have obtained CJIS certification.
      
      Specifically addressing concerns about the Washington State Fusion Center, the one sergeant assigned there does not have access to FUSUS or CCTV. Even if that sergeant wanted to share SPD data, he could not.
      
      
   2.  All activities in RTCC systems are logged and subject to audit and review.
      Every user of the system has an account, further limited by role, which tracks all activity in the system.
      
      The OIG will independently audit as part of its routine work on surveillance systems and has also hired independent academic experts to evaluate the RTCC and its systems, with the evaluation team led by researchers from the University of Pennsylvania's Crime and Justice Policy Lab.
      
      The RTCC was approved as a two-year research project. Data is being collected for operational information, use, and investigation outcomes, and provided to researchers for independent evaluation.
      
      
3. SPD Restricts Sharing of the Data and Information in RTCC Systems.
   
   
   1. SPD does not share its data outside of an active criminal investigation.
      Many police departments share data with third-party aggregators and receive ALPR information from other departments. SPD does not.
      
      SPD may share information with other local law enforcement partners in the course of an active criminal investigation; however, as outlined below, SPD does not participate in immigration enforcement of any kind.
      
      As noted above, the concerns about the Washington State Fusion Center are misplaced. No employee at that center has access to any RTCC system.
      
      
   2.  Contract language for all RTCC systems (and Body Worn Camera and In-Car Video) was modified to ensure that the vendor could not release the City’s data.
      Section 4 of the enabling ordinance for RTCC requested that SPD include language to address data sharing in the contract with Axon generally, but also specifically relating to reproductive healthcare and gender affirming care; SPD did so and proactively added immigration to the contract language. It reads as follows:
      • Notices The Contractor shall notify SPD if the Contractor receives a warrant or subpoena seeking SPD data for any purpose, including purposes related to immigration status, reproductive healthcare, or gender affirming medical services, unless prohibited by operation of law in which case, the Contractor will notify SPD about the warrant or subpoena and action taken when that prohibition is lifted; and, the Contractor shall retain or use in-house legal counsel to object to any warrant or subpoena on the grounds that Contractor does not have possession, custody or control over SPD evidence.
        
        
   3. Disclosure for immigration enforcement purposes is prohibited by law and policy.
      RCW 10.93.160, enacted in 2019 pursuant to the Keep Washington Working Act, establishes strict and blanket prohibitions against inquiring into, collecting, or disseminating information concerning, or cooperating with any federal agency regarding any individual's immigration or citizenship status except as may be required by superseding state or federal law. Expressly included among these restrictions are prohibitions against sharing, providing, or disclosing personal information about any person to anyone engaged, or intending to engage, in immigration enforcement, absent a court order or judicial warrant requiring disclosure. RCW 10.93.160 aligns in full with Seattle's long-standing restrictions against the same (SMC Chapter 4.18), and Seattle Police Department policy 6.020, which likewise predates the state law.

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.