A new report from the Seattle City Auditor's Office is raising concerns about how the Seattle Department of Transportation's (SDOT) camera system is being used
A new report from the Seattle City Auditor's Office is raising concerns about how the Seattle Department of Transportation's (SDOT) camera system is being used for law enforcement purposes.
The report found there is no set policy governing how Seattle police can use SDOT's traffic cameras at the department's Real-Time Crime Center.
The findings are part of the auditor's annual review of surveillance technology used by city departments.
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SDOT's cameras are meant to monitor traffic on city-owned streets in Seattle, but since last year, some of them have also been used at the Real-Time Crime Center to track crimes happening on city streets.
According to the report, SDOT does not have a formal policy on sharing camera feeds with SPD.
The report also says SPD told auditors there is no formal agreement on how the cameras are used because the feeds are already publicly accessible.
"While SDOT controls how its cameras are operated, it appears to have limited authority to dictate how SPD uses the camera feeds or streams," the report states.
It also warns that "decisions that SDOT makes regarding the CCTV traffic cameras, such as where to install new cameras, could have unintended consequences for Seattle residents."
Auditors also found that not all video recordings were deleted within the department's ten-day policy.
"According to SDOT, videos did not automatically delete from SharePoint correctly in the first half of 2025, causing retention issues," the report stated. "In our analysis, we found that the last 5 recordings of 2025, all created from late September onward, were deleted from SharePoint after either 10 or 11 calendar days."
The report comes as some residents continue to push back on funding and expanding the city's CCTV cameras.
Groups like the Community Not Cameras Coalition are calling for investments in community-led violence prevention programs instead of more surveillance cameras.
"You've heard from a number of people about the real safety concerns in our city, and there are real effective solutions, and surveillance is not one of them," one speaker told the City Council during public comment as the coalition held a rally against cameras outside city hall in July.
Among its recommendations, the auditor's office calls for policies and procedures outlining how police may use SDOT cameras, and how requests from the Real-Time Crime Center to move or zoom the cameras will be handled.
In a letter responding to the auditor's office, SDOT Director Angela Brady wrote, "SDOT utilizes traffic cameras for the purpose of operating a safe and reliable transportation system. SDOT uses the cameras for authorized transportation purposes such as traffic monitoring and management, responding to collisions and transportation incidents, and providing timely information to travelers."
Brady added that SDOT is developing an interdepartmental policy with SPD to clarify procedures for sharing camera feeds. "The policy will address requests concerning camera positioning, review and approval of new camera feeds, and consideration of departmental feedback when selecting new camera locations," she wrote.
According to the report, SDOT estimates that policy will be complete by Q1 2027.
