(The Center Square) - A new audit released Monday suggests that Seattle should address “significant” oversight gaps before expanding police surveillance camera networks and the Real-Time Crime Center.
The report comes as many residents and critics have sought an expansion of the city's surveillance systems.
The Center Square was provided an advanced a copy of the audit from the New York University School of Law’s Policing Project. It included 19 recommendations regarding camera access, data retention and tracking residents’ movements, but the audit stopped short of suggesting an expansion of the surveillance hub.
Mayor Katie Wilson announced the audit in March after halting an expansion of Seattle’s closed-circuit television camera network that the city council and her predecessor had approved just months earlier.
“Should Seattle choose to continue these programs, it should act swiftly to address the shortcomings identified,” the NYU said, arguing that residents should decide too. “These measures are essential to realizing the potential public safety benefits of the RTCC while protecting civil rights and civil liberties.”
Wilson’s office did not respond to a request for comment from The Center Square before publication. A press conference addressing the audit is scheduled for Tuesday morning.
Wilson faced blowback earlier this year from supporters and critics alike over the decision to delay the CCTV expansion until after the audit. Some argued that she wasn’t doing enough to protect residents’ privacy and civil liberties, while others said her decision might have let criminals walk free.
The July 26 Bite of Seattle Shooting at the Seattle Center is one clear example, as it was one location that could’ve seen CCTV cameras installed in the future. Councilmember Bob Kettle, the public safety chair, also criticized the mayor’s delay after a shooting happened near a disabled camera last August.
When reached Monday, Seattle City Council Communications Director Brad Harwood said he could not confirm whether the council had seen the audit and declined to comment until a separate press conference also set for Tuesday.
The city has 303 CCTV cameras across 61 sites, and the RTCC can also view about 100 other cameras at nine Seattle Police Department buildings and about 100 traffic camera feeds, according to the audit.
Police and the RTCC can also access cameras owned by local businesses under a voluntary agreement.
State lawmakers passed legislation this year increasing guardrails around the use of automatic license plate readers, commonly referred to as Flock cameras. The city currently only uses CCTV cameras that record footage of an area, whereas ALPRs can scan plates and add data to a wide-reaching database.
An Axon software called Fusus allows RTCC personnel to view the camera feeds, but it doesn’t require them to log case numbers or a reason for viewing the footage. This could limit auditors’ ability to track improper access, such as other agencies that have personnel stalking former lovers using ALPR systems.
A recent report from Seattle’s Office of Inspector General found no indication that SPD had improperly shared data in the 2025 logs that OIG reviewed, though it noted the potential lack of oversight above.
“OIG has seen the report,” Inspector General Lisa Judge emailed in an email to The Center Square on Monday, though she did not respond to a follow-up inquiry requesting her response to NYU’s findings.
SPD usually retains CCTV footage for five days, below its 30-day policy. NYU recommended making a five-day policy, noting that evidence uploaded to SPD’s cloud platform is typically retained indefinitely.
Another oversight gap included what constitutes authorized surveillance. While city officials emphasize its use for serious and violent crimes, the audit says SPD interprets that to include misdemeanors as well.
NYU suggested creating clear rules outlining how and when the RTCC should operate, including policies on access to protest footage, tracking residents’ movements with CCTV camera clusters, responding to immigration and healthcare-related court orders, annual reevaluations, an RTCC dashboard and more.
SPD declined to comment, noting leadership plans to address the audit at Wilson’s press conference.
Kent Loux, president of the Seattle Police Officers Guild, and Molly Quinton of the ACLU of Washington told The Center Square that neither organization had the audit when reached for comment on Monday.
“The public isn’t asking for a debate on public safety. They want action now,” former Gov. Christine Gregoire wrote in August after a Seattle Metro Chamber survey found 75% of respondents support public CCTV cameras. “Seattle residents are clear about their priorities: turn the cameras on now.”