Reactions pour in as Seattle expands city security camera network

Well, the debate over public safety and privacy is heating up after Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson authorized the expansion of the city's surveillance camera network. Fox 13's Sam Campbell is tracking this story and joins us live from Lumen Field. Sam, good morning. What are you learning? Well, good morning, Maria. You know this has been the talk of the town for quite some time. Is it a critical crime fighting tool? Or is it Big Brother watching your every move? That's the question that is fueling tensions here as the Seattle Police Department expands its CCTV network into neighborhoods like the Central District. Capitol Hill and right here in the Stadium District. We're on 1st Avenue South, and you can see that camera right there behind me. These cameras were turned on briefly during the World Cup, but then shut back off as Mayor Katie Wilson attempted to honor campaign promises. Stadium District cameras were installed prior to the World Cup and will be turned on immediately. There are good reasons for targeted deployment of police CCTV cameras in areas experiencing persistent crime. Now if you live in North Seattle you may hear that and assume the cameras are going up on Aurora Avenue, but you would guess wrong. North Seattle is not included in this current expansion, but the move is drawing both strong support and fierce criticism. Supporters like law enforcement, business leaders say that technology is crucial to help track suspects and reduce crime. But taking a look at the pushback, an independent audit by the NYU Policing Project. highlighted significant vulnerabilities, including the indefinite storage of video clips and unlogged camera feed access. And that is not to mention the apprehension that some Seattleites have about a surveillance company all the way in Arizona. We have a broad pool from which to hire if we wanted to operate a system that was fully controlled by us. That is simply not what this This system provided by Axon is. Now, while the city has committed to adopting most of the oversight recommendations, civil liberties groups are demanding the system be shut down entirely. The coalition Community Not Cameras warns that minor reforms are just not enough to protect vulnerable. Communities now Wilson's office says they are taking those recommendations for safety and privacy into account, and they'll be implementing them in the coming months. Now, if you want to read the full independent audit yourself and a breakdown of those oversight policies, we have that and more at fox13seattle.com. But for now, live in Seattle, Sam Campbell, Fox 13 news.