Seattle’s police watchdog found that officers generally followed safeguards governing the city’s surveillance pilot, with 98% of saved CCTV clips tied to serious or violent crimes or high-priority calls. The findings come as Mayor Katie Wilson continues to block expansion and keep Stadium District cameras offline.
The Office of Inspector General released two reviews on September 30 examining SPD’s surveillance technology use during 2025. Its Technology Assisted Public Safety pilot review found appropriate policies and processes governing CCTV cameras, automated license plate readers and Real Time Crime Center software. Officers and analysts appeared to limit their use and sharing of information to approved investigative priorities.
Investigators analyzed 1,659 saved CCTV clips. Only 38 involved incidents that were both nonviolent and low priority, mostly traffic incidents. The review also confirmed that SPD’s CCTV cameras do not use facial recognition software…