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Reasons For FBI's Hidden Cameras In Seattle To Remain Secret

Walt Jabsco/Flckr
Open government activists want the city of Seattle to release information about FBI cameras placed on ordinary light poles like this one (which is not equipped with a camera).

Why the FBI and other federal law enforcement agencies have placed hidden cameras on utility poles in Seattle, or even where they are, remains a mystery. A federal judge has ruled that the city of Seattle is not allowed to release information about six surveillance cameras the city allowed the agencies to put up. This all started when some residents of Seattle's Central District  noticed a camera on a Seattle City Light utility pole and wondered who put it there. In the course of trying to answer the question, privacy activist Phil Mocek says he came across an email from a Seattle City Light security manager to federal law enforcement agencies.

"And he said, I’ll paraphrase, 'Hey guys the public discovered this camera and I’m wondering if its one of yours. If it is, just let me know, I’ll put it on the list and keep it confidential as always,'” Mocek said.

Believing the information should be public, Mocek, who founded the Center for Open Policing, filed a  records request with the city. The FBI responded by suing to keep the information private, claiming releasing the information could hinder on going investigations.

For now, U.S. District Judge Richard Jones has sided with the FBI and the Justice Departments and issued a temporary restraining order.

But, Mocek says he won’t give up. He insists placing the cameras without the permission of the city council goes against the city’s anti-surveillance ordinance. The ordinance was enacted a few years ago following public outcry over the police department's placement of surveillance cameras along the waterfront.

Paula is a former host, reporter and producer who retired from KNKX in 2021. She joined the station in 1989 as All Things Considered host and covered the Law and Justice beat for 15 years. Paula grew up in Idaho and, prior to KNKX, worked in public radio and television in Boise, San Francisco and upstate New York.