By Jason Cruz
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
Pending Seattle City Council approval, closed-circuit cameras will be used in Seattle’s Chinatown-International District (CID) as part of a broader One Seattle Safety Framework initiative.
In addition to the proposed closed-circuit cameras, which will be on Aurora Avenue North, the downtown Third Avenue corridor, and the CID, there will be an expansion of Automated License Plate Readers. Also, the program includes new real-time crime center software technologies integrating multiple data sources for improved analysis and investigations.
Security system surveillance cameras on background with cityscape and blue sky realistic vector illustration
Mayor Bruce Harrell lauds new technology that could help the Seattle Police Department (SPD) in protecting the safety of citizens. This spring, Harrell held several public forums across the city to address issues of public safety.
“I am data driven, I want to measure what we are doing,” Harrell said in a public safety forum held at the downtown public library this past March.
Yet, there is concern that the cameras may intrude on privacy and show bias toward certain groups.
“CCTV cameras are a reactive approach to crime—research shows they do not prevent violent crime from occurring,” stated ACLU Technology Policy Program Director Tee Sannon in a written statement to the Northwest Asian Weekly. “In addition to not making our neighborhoods safer, CCTV cameras also threaten the privacy and civil liberties of entire communities by surveilling them as they go about their daily lives. Footage from CCTV cameras, along with the real-time crime center software in the surveillance pilot program, would enable SPD to amass an extensive amount of information about people’s activities and associations. We are concerned that both technologies in the surveillance pilot would disproportionately harm communities of color and pose a threat to vulnerable groups, including immigrants and people seeking reproductive and gender-affirming healthcare.”
However, the cameras have some supporters in the CID.
“Putting the Technology Assisted Pilot program in the CID will be a great test for the City, as well as a great benefit to the CID,” said Gary Lee, co-chair of the Chinatown-International District Public Safety Council. “Due to the density of offices, businesses, residents, and the boundaries (geographic shape) of the CID, and the characteristic of the CID being a small, self-contained city in itself with multiple parks, gathering spaces, as well as concealed and not-so-visible spaces, the test data will have foreseeable benefits and be invaluable to the CID community.”
One of Harrell’s programs to provide gunshot technology to Seattle was held back as part of this new initiative. ShotSpotter, the proprietary name for the acoustic gunshot technology, has been deployed in more than 150 cities. The technology would notify authorities of gunshots in a specific area with the intended result of shortening response time and deterring offenses.
Last month, the Mayor’s office stated the decision to shelve the gunshot location technology was because “[m]ore specific cost estimates have been received.” The statement went on to indicate that it prioritized cameras and license plate readers after “a robust public engagement, research review, and cost analysis process.”
While there are privacy concerns about the cameras several years ago, a Chinatown nonprofit group had made attempts to raise money to install cameras in the neighborhood to curb crime. The founding president of Seniors in Action Foundation, Nora Chan, raised $175,000 to install cameras in the outdoor areas of the CID. Similar to the city’s current program, the goal of the cameras was to increase resident safety, reduce crime, and improve the business environment. However, the lack of infrastructure to run the project was the reason that it fell short of its intended goal.
Despite the privacy concerns stemming from the closed-circuit cameras, the city hopes that rolling out the new technology will curb crime.
Jason can be reached at newstips@nwasianweekly.com.