Boston’s use of surveillance video may reignite debate in Seattle

Surveillance video is one of the tools the FBI is using in Boston to track down the person or people responsible for the marathon bombings – and that is reigniting a public debate on surveillance cameras and drones in Seattle.

While Boston Police and the FBI are waiting for a big break in their case, they’re combing through all this video – and there is a lot of video. Boston has a network of 147 cameras, and there were thousands of people at the Boston Marathon on Monday.

But the danger is that a lot of innocent people end up being questioned. Suppose you did something that looked suspicious in hindsight – innocent people could suddenly find themselves person of interest because of what they looked like on video.

The ACLU in Seattle has been an opponent of surveillance cameras due to privacy concerns, as were a number of Seattle residents speaking at public hearings on the topic of waterfront surveillance cameras.

Deputy Police Chief Clark Kimmerer said at a hearing last month while residents have a tendency to say “no” to any kind of surveillance camera, they do have value.

“The technology that is coming is stunning, the question becomes whether the trade off in the acquisition of it is worth it.”

The Seattle City Council approved an ordinance in response to concerns over 34 cameras that were installed across the city without public notice. The council says it will review camera operations and data management to protect the public’ privacy and civil liberties.

Still, the issue is only temporarily resolved. Councilmember Sally Clark says, “I have sense we’re going to be back here sooner rather than later talking about how technology has outpaced the language that we’re using here.”

In comparison, while Boston has 147 surveillance cameras, London has 51,000.

MyNorthwest.com’s Linda Thomas and Dave Ross contributed to this report.