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Agency records · WA

Seattle Police Department

CCTV program records for Seattle. Each fact keeps its source and checked date.

Written rules describe policy, not proof that every search follows it. Agency-reported camera totals have a different scope from community-mapped county points.

This profile covers public-space video cameras. CCTV, traffic cameras and plate readers have different capabilities; a mapped point does not establish which system recorded a particular event.

Program status reported by the source

On March 19, 2026, the mayor announced a pause in pilot expansion while existing CCTV and RTCC operations continued, with targeted exceptions for the Stadium District and a sensitive-site camera.

Dated announcement; present camera operation and later changes were not independently verified.

Source. Checked 2026-10-23; source date 2026-03-19.

CCTV system vendors

Axon

Vendor named in the mayor’s dated CCTV remarks; not a manufacturer assignment for every mapped record.

Source. Checked 2026-10-23; source date 2026-03-19.

Reported CCTV cameras

62 CCTV cameras. April 2025 launch total described in March 2026 remarks. Not a current inventory or a count of the points on this site’s map.

Source. Checked 2026-10-23; source date 2026-03-19.

Data retention

The updated safeguards describe five-day local storage under a 30-day ordinance ceiling, with case video moved to Evidence.com for investigation-specific retention. The same page’s FAQ still says up to 30 days.

Different published scopes; actual settings and deletion were not audited.

Source section Privacy safeguards1.b and retention FAQ. Checked 2026-10-23.

Access and oversight

Safeguards describe individually assigned, role-limited accounts with logged activity, background checks and CJIS certification, subject to audit and independent review.

Published access controls, not verified completion of every audit.

Source section Privacy safeguards2. Checked 2026-10-23.

Capabilities and recording rules

The FAQ permits object recognition but says these CCTV cameras do not use facial recognition, ALPR or audio recording. Safeguards describe permanent privacy masks for private areas.

Source section Analytics, ALPR and audio FAQs; safeguards1.a. Checked 2026-10-23.

Sharing rules

Safeguards limit routine outside sharing to active criminal investigations. The FAQ describes legally authorized disclosures and refers ICE requests to the mayor’s legal counsel. Actual recipients were not verified.

Source section Privacy safeguards3 and sharing FAQ. Checked 2026-10-23.

Details not yet verified

Named data-sharing partners, Contract value, Contract start date, Contract end date. No value is inferred from a county map count or another agency's policy.

Source documents

Local map

King County camera guide. The county map includes source points from multiple operators. It is not this agency's inventory.

Open county map

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