The Seattle City Council has greenlit a measure to beef up the Seattle Police Department's capability to fight crime through technological means, according to a recent report by the Council. The legislation will see the department's entire fleet of vehicles equipped with automated license plate reader (ALPR) technology, a move that’s been on the table since a limited ALPR deployment in 2021.
The push for expansion, championed by Councilmember Bob Kettle and amended by Councilmember Maritza Rivera, represents an escalation in the city’s efforts to tackle a surge in car thefts and other crimes, the ALPR systems are not only intended to track stolen cars but also assist in finding missing persons and canvassing crime scenes although the legislation also includes provisions aimed at safeguarding privacy in the wake of rising concerns about data misuse. "In our great city, crime has compounded crime. When someone steals a car, it’s used to smash through a storefront, eroding safety and contributing to a permissive environment. Automated License Plate Reader technology is an essential tool to curtail crime at the source," Councilmember Kettle stated.
At the heart of the debate were issues of privacy, prompting Councilmember Rivera to advocate for strict rules regarding the handling of ALPR data, “I also believed we needed clearly defined privacy protections to mitigate any unintended consequences that could result from the use of this technology. Toward this end, I worked with SPD and Central Staff to craft an amendment that places parameters around who has access to the ALPR data, why the data is needed, and tracks who has requested access.” Rivera highlighted the importance of limiting data access and tracking data requests to qualified personnel. Amendments to the bill aim to protect individuals' personal information, particularly those at increased risk like survivors of domestic violence or individuals seeking sensitive healthcare services in Washington state.
The legislation's passage opens the door for the outfitting of 360 police vehicles with ALPR dashcams starting in 2024 at an annual cost of $280,000, the implementation will follow the Mayor's sign-off and a thirty-day wait period and aims to bolster the police's ability to respond to in-progress crimes conduct criminal investigations and more but it also enshrines a critical balance between law enforcement capabilities and the civil liberties it may impinge upon. With the bill now awaiting the Mayor's signature, the full implications of this expansion are yet to unfold in Seattle's ongoing narrative of crime and community safety.
