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news | police “eyes on us,” continued... lanes in the dark and instantaneously check them against flagged vehicles. “It ties into a network in the computer,” he says of the reader. Cole says the program can be used to find any stolen vehicle in the database, or officers can input specific license numbers for tracking suspects in other crimes. Crime analysts can also review all license plates logged in recent months to pinpoint vehicles in certain areas at certain times, whether they’ve been flagged or not.
D
oug Honig, communications director for ACLU Washington, says privacy advocates worry that law enforcement’s broad use of technology to track and record the general public moves the country toward a “surveillance society.” “We’re concerned by the proliferation of more camera systems,” he says. “We think that when someone’s outside, the government shouldn’t be recording [them].” Honig also argues that research indicates public surveillance cameras do not prevent crime, but mostly just push it into other areas. He says those recorded by the cameras would primarily be law-abiding citizens. But police officials argue that emerging camera technology can help investigators solve crimes with more speed and certainty. Seattle police officials lobbied hard earlier this year to expand police access to red-light camera images, citing multiple murder cases they believe
could be solved with help from nearby cameras. The department also encountered strong opposition earlier this month over attempts to introduce a drone program. Washington state lawmakers have recently introduced new bills to regulate law enforcement’s use of red-light traffic cameras and unmanned drones. Both bills allow for law enforcement’s use, but impose specific rules and standards. “The Legislature finds that technological advances have provided new, unique equipment that may be utilized for surveillance purposes,” one bill states. “These technological advances often outpace statutory protections and can lead to inconsistent or contradicSend comments to tory interpretations between editor@inlander.com. jurisdictions.” Honig says law enforcement officials can usually provide “commendable” reasons to justify new surveillance efforts, but he sees a troubling trend of ever-expanding police authority. Public surveillance cameras, traffic cameras and drones all involve recording the innocent in hopes of finding the guilty. Walker argues the video technology, whether in public spaces or traffic cameras, can serve as an invaluable investigative tool. He says the department hopes to have a more concrete plan and price estimate for the camera project within a couple of months. “We’re still working through stuff,” he says. n jacobj@inlander.com
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