By reporter Steven Smalley
Inquiries flood into Magnolia Voice with questions about the purpose of the new surveillance camera atop the Magnolia Bridge. You may have spotted the black dome attached to a light pole on the upper part of the span. It is an inactive camera which will eventually become part of a city-wide security network – not designed to observe traffic or suicide attempts, according to a spokesperson at the Seattle Police Department.
You are witnessing the beginning of a “mesh network” of wireless cameras throughout the city designed to give first responders, such as Seattle Fire, the U.S. Coast Guard, and SPD, a view of the shoreline during emergencies, as part of a Port Security project.
Lead by the Seattle Police Department in conjunction with King County Metro and the Seattle Department of Transportation, 30 cameras along 160 access points tied to miles of fiber optic cable will enable various agencies to see the situation as it happens, whatever the circumstances.
There are privacy issues involved when cameras point at apartments that are tackled by the technical detective in a video here, produced by SPD. See some amazing technology built into the cameras to prevent official or even unofficial snooping.
Thanks to Magnolia Voice readers for the hot tip. Send yours to tips@magnoliavoice.com