Seattle ramps up World Cup security with cameras

Seattle ramps up World Cup security with cameras

Seattle has ramped up security measures ahead of this summer's World Cup matches, including turning on contentious closed-circuit TV cameras near the stadiums.

Why it matters: As hundreds of thousands of visitors flood the Emerald City for the tournament, the city is trying to address potential safety issues that might arise.

  • The first of six matches hosted in Seattle kicks off Monday at noon, with Belgium playing Egypt.

    • Zoom in: Lumen Field (temporarily rebranded as Seattle Stadium) has been outfitted with perimeter fencing and safety bollards to help keep out vehicles — part of $19.4 million in stadium work paid for by the state Legislature.

    Seattle police also plan to deploy hundreds of officers, rivaling their presence during the Seahawks' Super Bowl parade earlier this year — but this time for six separate game days, SPD spokesperson Patrick Michaud told Axios.

  • Officers will be deployed not only in areas around the stadium, but also downtown and throughout the city, he said.
  • "This is an abnormally large amount of people that will be visiting, and we will have an equally abnormal amount of cops," Michaud wrote in an email.

    • A $32 million grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is helping pay for added security around Seattle during the tournament.

    Catch up quick: One of the biggest local policy decisions was Mayor Katie Wilson's move to turn on CCTV security cameras around the stadium.

  • This month, Wilson said FBI and SPD officials had briefed her on "credible threats" to safety and security during the games, causing her to decide to activate cameras in the area.

    • Catch up quick: Wilson had previously halted a planned expansion of the city's CCTV camera pilot program into new neighborhoods — including the Stadium District — pending the results of a privacy and data security audit.

    Yes, but: Wilson approved installing the new Stadium District cameras earlier this year just in case, promising to turn them on only if a credible threat emerged surrounding the World Cup.

    What's next: Wilson's office says the cameras around the stadium will be turned off once the games are over.

  • Existing surveillance cameras remain in place downtown, along Aurora Avenue, and in the Chinatown-International District while the larger policy review is underway.