Spokane police to get eight pole-mounted surveillance cameras, including four covert ones, for nearly 78,000

The Spokane City Council has approved a budget of nearly $78,000 for the Spokane Police Department to acquire eight pole-mounted surveillance cameras, including four covert models. These cameras are intended to enhance police investigations and provide real-time data in areas experiencing crime trends. Police spokesperson Dan Strassenberg highlighted their potential usefulness in problem areas, where patrols may be insufficient. Although city law requires certain safeguards for surveillance equipment, these do not apply to temporary deployments for criminal investigations. Councilman Michael Cathcart expressed a change in his views on surveillance, acknowledging that the widespread presence of personal cameras has made the issue less concerning.

He sees the new cameras as a tool to combat crime in hotspots that lack police presence. However, the introduction of covert cameras has raised ethical concerns in other cities, such as Atlanta and Miami, where residents have protested similar installations. Overall, the Spokane Police Department aims to utilize these cameras primarily for major crime investigations.