Seattle pays company $150K to remove unused surveillance cameras

The day that Trump rallied in Seattle (actually Everett, but close enough), I was involved in a hit-and-run accident. A land-yacht driven by an old man wearing a Trump baseball cap side-swiped my little Honda and then sped off. I was shaken, but uninjured- my car had significant damage. Unfortunately, I was unable to see the license plate on the car that hit me... but, there was a surveillance camera placed at the intersection where the accident occurred. So, I hopefully waited for SPD to arrive, only to be told that the cameras were not in operation (so they claimed), so any chance of getting footage of the incident and/or license plate was gone. Now those cameras are going to be put to use by the Transportation Dept.
SOURCE

The City of Seattle has budgeted $150,000 to remove surveillance cameras placed around the city. The company hired to remove the cameras have removed more than half the cameras.

More than two dozen surveillance cameras positioned around Seattle are retiring without a single day of work experience. The Seattle Police Department installed the cameras back in 2013 but were never put into operation after a community outcry. The cameras will be repurposed by the Seattle Department of Transportation.

All I can say is: what a waste of time and money, think of all the bike-lanes the city could have built with the funds wasted on installing then uninstalling these cameras. AND, thanks to the people who cried so loudly to keep them from being used.

1st world struggle is real!

originally posted by: seattlerat All I can say is: what a waste of time and money, think of all the bike-lanes the city could have built with the funds wasted on installing then uninstalling these cameras. AND, thanks to the people who cried so loudly to keep them from being used.

Yeah, THINK of all the bicycle lanes! Typical Seattle. Take a congested city and take out perfectly good traffic lanes to turn them over to a few bicycles (They're just GREAT in this weather, too!) How about use that money to return the streets to vehicle lanes? So do you want a surveillance state to take care of your Trump voter? Thank God people protested loudly enough! Now if we can just kick those idiots off the City Council.....

Seattle officials and politicians are known for being some of dumbest people on the planet.

They have a long history of bonehead moves of all kinds. Seattle keeps electing these scumbags because they now suffer from acute and terminal level Stockholm Syndrome.

a reply to: seattlerat

get a dash cam then you wont have to rely on the government monitoring you...

It's ok...

The ptb in Seattle are gonna tax your toilet paper 18% to make up for it...

Because taxing to cover screw-ups it what they do here in WA.

Say what you want, but it's not every city that would listen to the public and not turn on surveillance cameras. In most places you probably wouldn't hear about it.

originally posted by: schuyler

originally posted by: seattlerat All I can say is: what a waste of time and money, think of all the bike-lanes the city could have built with the funds wasted on installing then uninstalling these cameras. AND, thanks to the people who cried so loudly to keep them from being used.

Yeah, THINK of all the bicycle lanes! Typical Seattle. Take a congested city and take out perfectly good traffic lanes to turn them over to a few bicycles (They're just GREAT in this weather, too!) How about use that money to return the streets to vehicle lanes? So do you want a surveillance state to take care of your Trump voter? Thank God people protested loudly enough! Now if we can just kick those idiots off the City Council.....

150k isn't going to build a whole lot of bike lanes.
In defense of bicycles, especially with the advent of electric bikes, they are faster and cheaper in congested downtown areas.
I used to live in Austin and could ride circles around downtown traffic jams.
There are ways to protect yourself from the elements.

originally posted by: underwerks
Say what you want, but it's not every city that would listen to the public and not turn on surveillance cameras. In most places you probably wouldn't hear about it.

most responsible places wouldnt install them before getting it approved by the community negating the huge cost the taxpayers fronted for something they never wanted and then had to pay to fight, and then have to pay to remove. try and tell me that shows intelligence

I like how you could tell he was wearing a MAGA hat but you couldn't tell the license plate.

They haven't made little Hondas for a while either.

originally posted by: PraetorianAZ

I like how you could tell he was wearing a MAGA hat but you couldn't tell the license plate.

He also had a Kek bumper sticker.

a reply to: seattlerat


That is awful.

I’ve been the victim of the elderly driving a few times.

One accident I was parked outside of a convenient store/Burger King and was buckling my son in, and the two kids I nannied at the time. I just finished buckling the girls in and headed to the other side of the car to put my sons straw in his cup when this elderly man with a boot on his foot drove right into my passenger side of my Camry, not only did he not stop, he drove all the way down my car til his car was now semi in his parking spot.


When he got out he walked right by me and said he didn’t do anything. I was very polite, and the guy yelled at me and went into the store, so I wrote down his license plate and called the police.

Some friend of this old man lied to the policeman at first and said he didn’t hit the car; but when the officer asked him if he actually saw it, he finally stated No. The older man got beligerent with the officer and the officer at one point told him he was close to being arrested.

Side note: The guy had dents all over his old rusty boat of wrecking ball he referred to as his car.

I don’t know his political affiliation, but from experience, old geezers suck at driving or taking accountability.

Hoping your luck changes for the better.

a reply to: seattlerat
I generally don't laugh at people's misfortune....
But...
Your victim mentality prevents me from having any empathy for you. Why you ask? Because most likely you are full of **** as the majority of these stories are fabrications to attack the political opposition.

I'd like to see your driving record for the day in question then I might believe your STORY. Which I thought was about cameras. NOT a Trump supporter. But any chance to push your narrative that Trump and his supporters are bad people right?

This thread reeks of desperation...

a reply to: seattlerat

thats kind of hilarious. you saw a camera, so you just sat there waiting for the police to show

a reply to: JAY1980 and 3n19m470

I will request a copy of the police report for your benefit and u2u it. The ONLY reason I mentioned the rally and the hat was for chronological context and to provide descriptions. I have ZERO political agenda, and disliked both candidates equally. Actually, I dislike Hillary supporters more than I dislike Trump supporters, but I won't discuss that any further.

And no, I did not just sit there waiting for the police to show BECAUSE I saw a camera. My insurance requires a police report to file a valid claim, and I was a "victim" in a crime. Immediately after the accident the driver of the behemoth that side-swiped me pulled to the side of the road behind me, then, just as I was getting out of my vehicle after having waited for a lull in traffic, to my amazement and surprise he peeled off at a high rate of speed. Yes, I noticed the hat he was wearing, but that was because he was BESIDE me, and NO, I could not read his license plate because he was BESIDE me, then directly BEHIND me, then GONE.

a reply to: seattlerat


I've said all there is to say about Seattle in the stupid tax thread (AS SEEN HERE). The question from me is:
"Is this company that is removing the cameras related to anyone in city hall?"