Seattle City Council members clash over CCTV funding

A fierce debate at City Hall over how to fight crime in Seattle's Central District, First Hill and Capitol Hill neighborhoods. Council members clashed over a push to shift money away from CCTV cameras to instead hire community violence interrupters. FOX 13's Alejandra Guzman is breaking down what happened and what it means for the neighborhoods involved. Nearly two dozen cameras are off. Others have yet to be installed as Mayor Katie Wilson waits for audits and reviews. This week, council members struggled to answer one question. Leave the money for these cameras untouched or fund another way to curb gun violence. Council Member Kettle? No. Council President Hollingsworth? Aye. Council Member Saka? Abstain. That's three in favor, one opposed, one abstain. With that vote, the Finance, Native Communities and Tribal Governments Committee approved reallocating $250,000 that had been budgeted to expand the CCTV cameras to fund community violence interruption ambassadors. Instead, the fund shifting proposed by Council President Joy Hollingsworth to get eyes on the street to protect our kids were constantly victimized by shootings. Something has to be done. Hollingsworth pointed to Mayor Katie Wilson's delay in expanding the camera program while independent reviews examined privacy concerns, civil liberties and whether the cameras are effective. The NYU studies findings are expected in I'm gonna publicly say to the mayor right now that I want those CCTV cameras placed. Council Member Maritza Rivera says this puts council members in a precarious situation with residents who were promised those cameras and want the city to follow through. Public Safety Chair Bob Kettle pushed back. If this amendment passes, I'm gonna be a no on the major supplemental both here and next Tuesday. The committee highlighted a letter from major event organizers pushing Mayor Wilson to activate 22 Stadium District cameras and invest in additional cameras after the mass shooting at the Seattle Center. In a statement, Wilson saying in part quote, different people in different communities experience the cameras differently. It's important to base a decision on more than feelings. It's important to ground our actions in a thorough understanding of how the cameras are being used of the public benefits they're providing and of any harm they're causing or could cause and quote. That is unconscionable in terms of what the mayor has been doing with this program because we vetted this program. The debate wasn't just happening at City Council. Community members are also divided. A FOX 13 poll has 86% of community members favoring the cameras remain on, saying cities around the world already rely on them. They're another investigative tool, and if they're used, there should be strict rules over who can access the footage and how long it's kept. People want to see something done now. The city's mid year budget proposal now heads to a full council vote next week in Seattle. Alejandro Usman FOX 13 news.