From Newsgroup: alt.law-enforcement

Idiot - she ignores protecting citizens from criminal acts,
so that people on public streets can keep 'private' what???

rom

Mayor Wilson to turn off stadium-area cameras as World Cup events end
July 7, 2026 at 1:03 pm Updated July 7, 2026 at 2:24 pm

Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson, left, speaks as Peter Tomozawa, right, CEO
of the city’s local organizing committee for the FIFA Men’s
World Cup, looks on during a news conference March 3. (Ivy Ceballo / The Seattle Times)

By David Kroman
Seattle Times staff reporter
Mayor Katie Wilson is turning off the police surveillance cameras
stationed in SeattlerCOs stadium district now that the highest-profile
World Cup activities in the area have come to an end, she said Tuesday.

Her decision is consistent with her previously stated policies around
the camerasrCO use, she said in a statement. Her office expects several reviews of their safety and efficacy in the coming months, and Wilson
has promised to make a broader decision about their use.

The cameras near the stadiums were activated last month because Wilson
said she received information about both general and specific credible
threats to the World Cup events that met the bar she had set for their activation.

Now that the once-in-a-generation event has finished, Wilson wants to
return to her previously announced timeline for considering whether the
number of cameras in Seattle should grow.

rCLThis follows through on the commitment I made last month that these particular cameras would only be turned on for the duration of the FIFA
World Cup in Seattle, because of its high global profile and the unique circumstances surrounding the event,rCY she said Tuesday.

Once an audit of the cityrCOs camera policies and practices is in hand,
Wilson promised to rCLengage thoughtfully around next steps regarding the previously planned expansion of these cameras to additional areas.rCY

The question of how far-reaching SeattlerCOs surveillance should stretch
has turned into a monthslong back-and-forth for Wilson.

Seattle already has more than 60 cameras operating in downtown, Aurora
Avenue and the Chinatown International District, all of which feed into
the Seattle Police DepartmentrCOs Real Time Crime Center.

Last year, the Seattle City Council and then-Mayor Bruce Harrell
greenlit an expansion into parts of Capitol Hill, the Central District
and areas around the stadiums. Backers in City Hall and in the Police Department argued that they provide crucial intelligence that can lead directly to solving crimes.

Wilson, though, was skeptical of adding new cameras amid fears of
overreach by the federal government and more general concerns around
privacy and civil rights.

When she took office, she sought to find a middle path. She paused the installation of new camera additions elsewhere in the central part of
the city. At the same time, she installed them near the stadiums while
saying they would only be turned on in the event of a rCLcredible threatrCY
to the World Cup. She did not remove any of the existing cameras.

She also commissioned an audit from New York University to examine the camerasrCO potential risks to privacy and civil rights, particularly in
the context of immigration enforcement and reproductive and
gender-related healthcare.

Under pressure from City Council members and after receiving word from
law enforcement that a credible threat to the World Cup did exist,
Wilson gave the OK to turn on the stadium-area cameras.

Immediately after MondayrCOs World Cup match, the last in Seattle, a group calling itself Community Not Cameras called on Wilson to turn them off
again and planned a rally for Tuesday afternoon.

The decision to turn on the cameras rCLactively puts our most vulnerable communities at risk at a time when we know there will be an increased
presence of ICE and other federal agencies in Seattle,rCY the group said
in a statement.

On the other side, supporters of the cameras were upset by the decision
to turn them off again.

rCLDeactivating SeattlerCOs safety cameras makes zero sense,rCY said Jon Scholes, president and CEO of the Downtown Seattle Associations.
rCLMassive crowds with international visitors may have left but the
community remains, and their safety should be supported by the best
available resources.rCY

Some City Council members have also been frustrated by WilsonrCOs approach
to the cameras. Councilmember Bob Kettle argued that sufficient
protections have already put into place and the current ordinance
balances public safety with privacy.

More than that, he doubts the federal government needs SeattlerCOs
technology. rCLThey donrCOt need our system,rCY he said. rCLTheyrCOre creating their own systems.rCY

David Kroman: 206-464-3196 or dkroman@seattletimes.com. David Kroman is
a reporter at The Seattle Times who covers politics and Seattle City
Hall, focusing on the City Council, mayor, city attorneyrCOs office and
other city agencies.
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