Seattle Mayor Wilson Allows Targeted CCTV Expansion With New Privacy and Accountability Safeguards
Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson, of King County, Washington, announced on November 10 that her administration will continue with the planned expansion of the Real Time Crime Center (RTCC) CCTV pilot while increasing safeguards to protect privacy and civil liberties. New cameras will cover the area around Garfield High School and the Capitol Hill nightlife district, to be purchased, installed and activated in the coming months, while cameras in the Stadium District, installed before the World Cup, will be activated immediately.
The additional locations were identified by the Seattle Police Department and approved by the City Council in 2025. Wilson paused the expansion in March 2026 and commissioned an audit of the RTCC by the NYU Policing Project. The audit found such systems increasingly common nationwide with potential public-safety benefits, but identified remaining governance gaps and recommended stronger safeguards, transparent policies and risk mitigation.
Wilson said that after reviewing the evidence, recommendations and safeguards, she believes there is an important and responsible role for the RTCC within Seattle's public-safety system, using cameras in a targeted way alongside nation-leading safeguards including a public data dashboard, a comprehensive surveillance policy and unannounced inspections by the Inspector General.
(Source: Office of the Mayor of Seattle)
Source: Office of the Mayor of Seattle
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：西雅图市政厅外景。Seattle City Council 摄，CC0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: Seattle City Hall. Photo by Seattle City Council, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
