The 77-page audit, conducted by the Policing Project at New York University School of Law, comes after months of public debate over the city's use of police cameras. It does not recommend eliminating the center or deciding whether it should expand; instead, it focuses on governance and civil rights concerns, urging additional protections if the city continues using the technology.

"They saw the very same thing we saw," said Cliff Cawthon of the Communities Not Cameras Coalition. "There is a porous, Swiss cheese system that has few technical safeguards to keep our data safe."

One of the most consequential recommendations would require police to obtain a warrant before using multiple cameras to track a person's movements across different areas, except during active incidents where probable cause exists and immediate action is necessary. The report distinguishes such tracking from simply checking cameras near a crime scene.

The audit also found that some current practices are not formally required by policy. For example, the Seattle Police Department retains raw video from its own CCTV cameras for five days, but policy allows up to 30 days. Auditors recommend codifying the five-day limit. Additionally, video and images moved to Evidence.com are kept indefinitely; the report recommends retention periods based on case status and outcome.

Oversight concerns were also raised. The Axon Fusus system logs user activity but does not require analysts to enter a case number or justification each time a camera is viewed, making it difficult for auditors to determine whether access was appropriate. The system also does not log use of its AI-powered object-detection feature.

At the time of the review, the Real-Time Crime Center had access to 303 SPD CCTV cameras at 61 sites, about 100 traffic cameras, cameras at SPD facilities, and 23 privately owned cameras at three businesses connected directly to the system. SPD also maintained a registry of 893 private cameras at 159 locations, though those were not connected for live viewing. The network could grow: SPD had purchased approximately 100 additional devices capable of connecting private camera systems, but distribution plans were undetermined. The audit recommends greater transparency about how private cameras are added.

The report lands amid a broader debate over whether surveillance cameras improve public safety enough to justify privacy tradeoffs. In July, Microsoft President Brad Smith argued that turning off cameras in the Stadium District could make the public less safe. "And every day those cameras in the Stadium District are turned off is a day when our own citizens are left less safe than they should be," Smith said. Opponents, however, have raised concerns about camera locations and what they capture. "There are a number of cameras that are pointed directly into people's homes," Cawthon said.

Cawthon called on Mayor Katie Wilson to heed the audit's findings. "That says something. So, I would for sure ask Mayor Wilson to respect the report," he said. Wilson is expected to address the audit at an 11 a.m. press conference Tuesday alongside interim Seattle Police Chief Andre Sayles.