‘Don’t wait until it’s too late’: Jake and Spike urge Seattle mayor to turn CCTV cameras on ahead of World Cup

Seattle City Councilmember Rob Saka pleaded for Mayor Katie Wilson to turn on security cameras in the Stadium District before the World Cup, a call amplified by KIRO hosts Jake Skorheim and Spike O’Neill.

Jake urged city leaders not to wait until it’s too late, arguing the city has already promised that camera footage won’t be shared with federal immigration authorities, so there’s no reason not to turn them on now.

“You have an opportunity three weeks out, and you’ve sold it to the public, and you’ve told everybody that they’re not having to worry about information shared with the federal government regarding immigration policy. Then you don’t have any problems,” he said on “The Jake and Spike Show” on KIRO Newsradio. “Turn the cameras on, and if they’re not doing it, we have further questions as to why they’re not turning them on. If they still refuse to turn them on. So, this would be a good moment for Katie Wilson to answer that call, for sure.”

Spike noted every other World Cup city will be using surveillance cameras to help guarantee a safe environment, and that if criminals think the cameras are on, they are less likely to commit crimes.

“You’re planning on doing something nefarious at a World Cup event, and you’ve got Seattle as the only city not using surveillance cameras,” Spike said.

Seattle council member points to Boston Marathon bombing

At a Public Safety Committee meeting Tuesday, Saka pointed to the Boston Marathon bombing as a reference for why cameras are so important. He ran the marathon and was there when the bombs went off.

“In 2013, me and my wife ran the Boston Marathon,” Saka told colleagues. “And then the first of the bombs went off, and I’ll never forget. And then another device exploded shortly thereafter.”

Saka credited closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras with helping law enforcement identify the Boston attackers and prevent further tragedy.

“Imagine that they didn’t have any cameras going because the city of Boston followed the same policy — they didn’t, thank God — but imagine they had been following the same policy that Katie Wilson and Seattle are doing right now, which is until they have a credible threat, they’re not going to turn them on,” Jake said. “In Boston, if they were doing that, they would not have been on.”

Jake added that it can be hard to tell when there is a credible threat.

“Yeah, don’t wait until it’s too late,” Spike said.

“Don’t wait until it’s too late,” Jake echoed.

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

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