Schram: Dashcam ruling on SPD videos makes no sense
I’d like to know how a public servant, on a public street, can end up with a private video.
That very question is at the core of a legal battle between KOMO TV and the Seattle Police Department.
Last Fall, KOMO sued SPD over the issue of public access to dashcam videos and the database that keeps track of them.
Last week, a King County judge handed down a confusing ruling that said Seattle police were wrong in holding back the database from KOMO News, but at the same time the judge noted that the city has the right to keep those videos secret for three years.
The question now gets booted to the State Supreme Court as to whether public disclosure or a thin curtain of privacy will prevail.
I’m amazed that government has no compunction about putting up surveillance cameras on city streets, informing us that we have no expectation of privacy in a public setting, but that video taken on a camera mounted in a police patrol car is a different matter.
Government can't be allowed to take away our privacy when it suits its purpose, only to turn around and say they are "protecting" our privacy when it suits no purpose but that of government.
In short, a public servant on a public street cannot end up with a private video.
Have something to say to Ken? Login or signup below to post a comment. Just be sure to read the rules and keep things civil. You can also e-mail him at kenschram@komo4news.com. You can also hook up with Ken on Facebook.
That very question is at the core of a legal battle between KOMO TV and the Seattle Police Department.
Last Fall, KOMO sued SPD over the issue of public access to dashcam videos and the database that keeps track of them.
Last week, a King County judge handed down a confusing ruling that said Seattle police were wrong in holding back the database from KOMO News, but at the same time the judge noted that the city has the right to keep those videos secret for three years.
The question now gets booted to the State Supreme Court as to whether public disclosure or a thin curtain of privacy will prevail.
I’m amazed that government has no compunction about putting up surveillance cameras on city streets, informing us that we have no expectation of privacy in a public setting, but that video taken on a camera mounted in a police patrol car is a different matter.
Government can't be allowed to take away our privacy when it suits its purpose, only to turn around and say they are "protecting" our privacy when it suits no purpose but that of government.
In short, a public servant on a public street cannot end up with a private video.
Have something to say to Ken? Login or signup below to post a comment. Just be sure to read the rules and keep things civil. You can also e-mail him at kenschram@komo4news.com. You can also hook up with Ken on Facebook.
