SEATTLE — The Seattle City Council has approved the expansion of license plate reading technology to Seattle Police Department (SPD) vehicles.
On June 18, the City Council announced that it would be installing automatic license plate reading (ALPR) technology in all vehicles within the city.
“Crime exacerbates crime in our great city. When someone steals a car, that car is used to crash into store entrances, making things less safe and creating an environment where crime is tolerated. Automatic license plate reading technology is a vital tool to eradicate crime,” said City Councilman Bob Kettle. “It will allow us to proactively address crime when it occurs and increase the effectiveness of police investigations after a crime has occurred.”
Several amendments were also introduced to address privacy concerns and provide accountability measures.
“To address privacy concerns, the City Council passed several amendments and will work closely with the City's accountability partners to address these issues,” Councilman Kettle said.
The use of license plate readers began in 11 Seattle Police Department vehicles in 2021 and has been used to help locate stolen vehicles, search for missing people and detect crimes in progress.
Once fully deployed, police will be able to use the technology to search for wanted persons, investigate crimes and search crime scenes.
City Council included a $280,000 annual cost to fully outfit the 360 vehicles in the 2024 SPD budget.
The bill will now head to the mayor's desk and, if signed, will go into effect 30 days after it is signed.
