Seattle SMC 14.18 (2017, expanded 2018) makes Seattle one of the first US cities to require City Council approval and a Surveillance Impact Report before any city department acquires or deploys surveillance technology, including facial recognition.
The Seattle Surveillance Ordinance, codified at SMC 14.18, requires every city department, including Seattle Police, to submit a Surveillance Impact Report (SIR) and obtain affirmative City Council approval before acquiring or using any surveillance technology. The Community Surveillance Working Group, an independent advisory body, reviews each SIR for civil-liberties concerns. SPD has not approved facial recognition as a surveillance tool; the technology is effectively banned absent Council action. Washington RCW 43.386 (2020) added statewide rules for state-agency facial recognition, including testing and accountability. Seattle's broader ordinance also covers ALPRs, body cameras, drones, and predictive policing. Annual equity-impact reports are required. Private-sector facial recognition is governed by Washington's My Health My Data Act and biometric privacy law RCW 19.375.
Department use of unapproved surveillance tech: violation of SMC 14.18 subject to enforcement by City Auditor. Officers must cease use; data may be ordered destroyed. Council can withhold funding.
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