Latest news with #BruceHarrell
Geek Wire
4 days ago
- Politics
- Geek Wire
‘It's a game-changer': Seattle touts high-tech Real Time Crime Center amid privacy concerns
Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes speaks at a media event Tuesday for the city's new Real Time Crime Center. Back row, from left: Mayor Bruce Harrell (white shirt); Councilmember Bob Kettle, Councilmember Sara Nelson, and Councilmember Maritza Rivera. (GeekWire Photos / Taylor Soper) The Seattle Police Department has formally launched a new high-tech operations center designed to help officers fight crime in real time — and is already seeing results, according to city officials. Mayor Bruce Harrell, SPD Chief Shon Barnes, and city councilmembers hosted a media event Tuesday touting the new Real Time Crime Center, located inside the police headquarters in downtown Seattle. The center pulls live footage and data from surveillance cameras and other sources into a centralized command room staffed by analysts nearly 20 hours a day. It supports ongoing investigations by pushing video and incident data directly to patrol units and detectives. Analysts can provide live updates and still images of suspects, a capability SPD says helps support its 'precision policing' model. In just under two months, the system has been used in 600 incidents and is actively aiding 90 investigations, according to city officials. Harrell called the system a 'game changer.' 'This is not a panacea, but it does mean we are fulfilling our promise to use every tool available to improve public safety,' he said. Not everyone is on board with the new effort, which takes advantage of new police-owned CCTV cameras in the downtown core, along Aurora Ave., and in the Chinatown-International District. ACLU of Washington last year cited 'evidence that these technologies do not reduce violent crime and disproportionately harm communities of color.' 'SPD's use of RTCC software would make it possible for ICE and out-of-state agencies to access data to arrest immigrants and prosecute people coming to Seattle for reproductive and gender-affirming healthcare while bypassing state protections,' ACLU said in a statement in September. Captain James Britt said data requests from outside agencies — including federal law enforcement — are screened and must comply with state and local laws. 'We control where all of our data goes,' he said. Captain James Britt shows live camera feeds as part of SPD's new Real Time Crime Center. The center, part of a broader crime prevention technology pilot launched under Harrell, uses software called Fusus built by Axon, the police body cam and taser giant that has an engineering office in Seattle. Axon last year acquired Fusus, a leader in real-time crime center technology. Britt said the software does not use facial recognition, gait analysis, or other biometric tools — but it can search video using keywords like 'red shirt' or 'black Toyota,' and it flags potential matches for human review. The city says it completed required Surveillance Impact Reports and has launched a third-party academic evaluation led by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania. In a follow-up interview with GeekWire, Britt emphasized that the system is not about replacing people — but rather enhancing staff capabilities. SPD has been increasing staffing after losing officers in recent years. 'All this technology has an incredible capability to change the way we do policing — to make us better, faster, and more precise at what we do,' Britt said. 'That's really what those of us in the uniform really want. 'We want to be able to do our jobs better — not more aggressively, not more broadly. We want to do what we do, but we want to do it better, and this helps us do that.' The center actually launched a decade ago but the initial version wasn't as integrated into real-time policing. A new legislative proposal would expand CCTV surveillance to Capitol Hill's nightlife area, SODO near the stadiums, and neighborhoods around Garfield and Nova High Schools. Harrell has supported a controversial gunshot detection technology system but said last year that the city would not allocate money to the initiative.
Axios
03-07-2025
- Business
- Axios
Seattleites divided on digital kiosks in public spaces
Many locals are wary of Seattle's plans to install 30 digital wayfinding kiosks downtown, according to an informal survey of Axios Seattle readers. Why it matters: An ordinance signed Tuesday by Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell will allow the Downtown Seattle Association to install the touchscreen kiosks throughout the central business district. Each kiosk measures more than 8 feet tall by 3 feet wide, and will display slides that are mostly advertisements when not in active use. Zoom in: Axios Seattle recently asked readers to share their thoughts about the incoming kiosks, and some questioned if the benefits will justify increased advertising and privatization of public space. Of the 51 people who responded, two-thirds had negative reactions, with 49% strongly disapproving of the kiosks' installation and about 18% saying they somewhat disapprove. What they're saying: Advertising was the most common concern mentioned, followed by the kiosks' appearance and size. "It's crowded in Seattle already — now we will have to dodge bulky, unwanted advertising too?" wrote reader Joni Bosh, who described the kiosks as "billboards at face level." Even some who like the idea of the kiosks as a way to relay public information worried they'll quickly become defaced and vandalized, turning them into eyesores. Others raised concerns about privacy, given that the kiosks will include cameras as part of a user-operated selfie booth feature. The city ordinance says the kiosks won't retain those images, nor take other types of photos or video. The other side: Some readers said the devices — which are already in use in about two dozen other U.S. cities — are useful tools that Seattle should embrace. Reader Peter Kulseth described them as "another awesome way to demonstrate the tech-focused and futuristic feel that Seattle embodies so well." A few people described privacy concerns as overblown, noting that the kiosks will be placed on public streets where there is little expectation of privacy. What's next: The Downtown Seattle Association expects to have all 30 kiosks installed by next summer, when Seattle is slated to host six matches as part of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Daily Mail
02-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Disgusting video shows how Seattle's new $800m waterfront has already descended into squalor and despair
Seattle's ritzy, $800 million mega project to revitalize the city has already descended into squalor and despair with a new fountain turned into a bubble bath for homeless people. Discovery Institute Senior Journalism fellow Jonathan Choe shared a video to X, which showed a rogue, shirtless bather practicing basic hygiene in the newly renovated fountain. Seattle launched the $806 million Waterfront Seattle Program in 2010 to reconnect the city to its waterfront along Puget Sound - a large saltwater inlet of the Pacific Ocean. The city is set to open a new waterfront park and walkway which includes rebuilt piers and elevated connections to downtown. It recently opened the Joshua S. Green Sr. Fountain to the Columbia Street waterfront, now set amid new public art added as part of the revitalization. But despite the extensive efforts - and the hundreds of millions invested - the city's homelessness crisis continues unabated. The shocking video of the newly-minted waterfront showed police confronting the disheveled man bathing in the sudsy public fountain. 'Seattle spent more than $800 million on its waterfront revitalization project,' Choe wrote on his post. 'Mayor Bruce Harrell said it would create a vibrant, accessible and engaging public space,' he added. 'Today, new water fountains are being used as bubble baths for homeless drug addicts.' In the footage, the man sits with his legs sprawled, scooping handfuls of sudsy water and scrubbing himself in plain view - turning the public fountain into an impromptu bath. Meanwhile, at least three police officers stand behind metal barricades surrounding the fountain, while bicyclists pass by on the nearby paths, seemingly unaware of the unusual scene unfolding just feet away. At one point, an officer calmly said, 'Dude, you've got to come out,' while gesturing for the unidentified man to leave the water. However, the man remained fixated on the water beneath him, repeatedly scooping it with his hands and staring intently as he continued to cover his legs in bubbles. Seattle's extensive central waterfront transformation includes a new park promenade along the shoreline, a redesigned surface street on Alaskan Way, renovations to Piers 58 and 62, an elevated connection from Pike Place Market to the waterfront and improved east–west links between downtown and Elliott Bay. But as the busy tourism season approaches - especially ahead of the July 4th weekend - locals say little has improved in how the city is managed. Some believe officials are ignoring the city's most urgent problems, choosing instead to focus on crafting the illusion of a perfect city through cosmetic renovations. In 2010, Seattle launched its $806 million Waterfront Seattle Program to remove the Alaskan Way Viaduct and reconnect the city to its waterfront along Puget Sound - a large saltwater inlet of the Pacific Ocean (pictured: renovation of fountain) As the busy tourism season approaches - especially ahead of the July 4th weekend - locals say little has improved in how the city manages the rampant crime and drug-addled homelessness (pictured) On Wednesday, Choe shared another video to X, capturing chaotic scenes as he walked through the busy streets of downtown Seattle. 'Visitors are being greeted by brand new tens and open-air drug use,' Choe wrote on the post. 'What an absolute embarrassment and disgrace for the city right before July 4th festivities.' 'Even the elderly with walkers are struggling to navigate through this urban decay,' he added. In the footage, visitors with suitcases in hand navigate 3rd Avenue and Stewart Street, where tents line the sidewalks and the ground is strewn with cardboard and worn household items. At one point, an elderly woman using a walker slowly tries to reach the edge of the sidewalk, forced to navigate around tents that occupy more than half the available space. Throughout the video, no matter which block Choe walked down, tents and people crowded tightly against storefronts, saturating every street corner. 'Seriously, how can Mayor Bruce Harrell and D7 Councilmember Bob Kettle abdicate their responsibilities during one of the most important times of the year?' Choe wrote on his post. 'Meanwhile, the drug den in front of controversial housing provider REACH is worse than ever,' he added. 'The only ones trying to save lives right now are outreach workers with We Heart Seattle. And they don't even have a taxpayer funded city contract. Wild.' Long-standing businesses in the Democrat-led city have also been driven away by Seattle's rampant crime and drug-addled homelessness, recently causing a major tech conference to leave the Pacific North West for the first time in nearly a decade. Last month, Microsoft confirmed that they will relocate its flagship Build conference from 2026 following mounting concerns over dystopian scenes of open-air drug markets and violence. The intensifying issues have dramatically changed the city's character since the company's first conference in 2017. The decision followed mounting concerns over public safety, visible drug use, and deteriorating conditions in the city's downtown.
Coin Geek
01-07-2025
- Business
- Coin Geek
Seattle uses AI to improve housing permit issuances
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... Seattle has unveiled plans to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) into the issuance of housing and small business permits within the city, leveraging the emerging technology to circumvent traditional bottlenecks. According to a report, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell signed an executive order directing all applications to be reviewed and processed using AI. The signing creates an AI pilot program and a Permitting and Customer Trust (PACT) team to spearhead the AI-powered permit issuances. Seattle is teaming up with Chicago-based CivCheck, an AI-based startup with a streak of collaborations with regulators across 10 jurisdictions in Chicago. Harrell notes that the initiative aligns with the Responsible Artificial Intelligence policy and will usher in changes to the application processes for housing and small businesses. PACT will cut housing review cycles by up to 50%, reducing wait times and saving costs for individuals and small businesses. The team will also improve the permitting process by spotting and clarifying complex regulations for accommodation seekers. Furthermore, an AI-based platform will pre-screen applications, helping applicants achieve compliance before a formal review. The AI-based pre-screening system will enable applicants to turn in a compliant document that will scale through the review process, eliminating the traditional back-and-forth with regulators. 'The way that it works is the applicant has the ability to go into CivCheck, upload their plans, and then essentially work with the AI to improve the quality of their permit documents,' said CivCheck co-founder and CEO Dheekshita Kumar. Several U.S. state and city governments are using AI systems to streamline their permit processes. Honolulu, Austin, and Los Angeles have previously adopted AI systems for permits with impressive results, setting the stage for more cities across the U.S. to pivot to solutions leveraging emerging technologies. AI utility for public services skyrockets Governments worldwide embrace AI for public sector use cases for efficiency, transparency, and productivity. AI-powered systems are making an appearance in public schools and hospitals across the U.S. and North America. In the Asia Pacific, South Korea is increasing the size of its AI investment to integrate it into public services and key sectors of its economy. Despite the frenetic push for adoption, governments are adopting a cautious stance to safeguard the public from inherent AI risks. UNESCO launches new alliance to improve the public sector AI utility While the private sector is leading the race for AI, UNESCO has launched a new alliance to help government agencies catch up with enterprises. According to a press release, UNESCO has teamed up with a group of over 50 institutions involved in training civil servants to launch the AI alliance. Dubbed the Schools of Public Administration and Actors for Research and Knowledge on AI (SPAARK-AI Alliance), the new Alliance will improve the state of public sector adoption for emerging technologies. Unveiled during a high-level conference, alliance members will participate in a raft of dedicated workshops designed to explore ideal strategies to embed AI into their local institutional frameworks. The SPAARK-AI Alliance will have four focus areas, with developing AI training resources topping the list. Furthermore, Alliance members will pursue the establishment of competency frameworks and a dynamic knowledge hub for the cross-pollination of ideas. Finally, the SPAARK-AI Alliance will support building a global network while streamlining collaborative research and expert exchange among members. At the core of the mission is an alignment with key international AI frameworks to ensure the secure deployment of AI in public services. 'The SPAARK-AI Alliance represents a crucial step toward building inclusive governance systems where artificial intelligence strengthens democratic institutions,' said UNESCO Director Guilherme Canela. Per the statement, the Alliance will help public sectors face various challenges affecting AI integration. The training will alleviate fears of AI replacement while supporting the establishment of proper data management practices and keeping an eye on local peculiarities. UNESCO is extending its streak of establishing international AI governance frameworks. The UN agency has previously teamed up with the Netherlands to develop ethical AI governance standards, recording a spike in AI governance consultations. Public sector AI utility records steady growth Countries around the world are looking into AI. Nigeria and the U.S. have teamed up to explore public AI utility, while Canada has unveiled an AI strategy for public sector adoption. Japanese authorities are investing in research and development for the responsible adoption of AI across key sectors of the economy. Global lawmakers are hurrying to pass legislation to support the pivot to AI, while governments are increasing their budgets for AI integration to match the zest of the private sector. In order for artificial intelligence (AI) to work right within the law and thrive in the face of growing challenges, it needs to integrate an enterprise blockchain system that ensures data input quality and ownership—allowing it to keep data safe while also guaranteeing the immutability of data. Check out CoinGeek's coverage on this emerging tech to learn more why Enterprise blockchain will be the backbone of AI. Watch: Demonstrating the potential of blockchain's fusion with AI title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen="">
Geek Wire
26-06-2025
- Business
- Geek Wire
Bold or boneheaded? Seattle's proposed tax hike on big business draws fire as Amazon stays silent
Downtown Seattle (GeekWire Photo / Taylor Soper) Supporters call it bold. Critics call it boneheaded. A new effort to raise taxes on large businesses in Seattle is generating a wide range of reaction. Mayor Bruce Harrell and Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck on Wednesday unveiled a unique proposal that would reshape the city's business and occupation (B&O) tax that applies to gross revenue. The initiative would temporarily eliminate B&O taxes for small- and medium-sized businesses — including tech startups — with gross receipts of $2 million or less. To offset the revenue loss for the city, large companies would see their B&O tax rate increase by more than 50% — from 0.427% to 0.65% for service businesses. The new tax rules would raise an additional $90 million per year for human services and other city programs. The city says about 90% of small- and medium-sized businesses in Seattle will pay fewer B&O taxes if the proposal passes. Harrell and Rinck framed the proposal as a way to protect Seattle's small businesses while shielding from potential federal funding cuts. They also cited the city's $251 million deficit. Rinck, a former fiscal policy analyst who took office in November, said Seattle's largest companies should 'pay their fair share.' 'We're asking them to contribute to the community that made their success possible — for the infrastructure they use, to the workforce whose labor they rely on, and the working class consumer base who buy their products,' Rinck said at a press conference. 'This isn't punishment for individual success. It's shared community responsibility that comes with shared success.' Jon Scholes. (DSA Photo) Jon Scholes, CEO and president of the Downtown Seattle Association, called it 'a boneheaded proposal of epic proportions' in a post on LinkedIn. Scholes supported exempting small businesses from the B&O tax, currently set at 0.427% of gross receipts for service companies. But he said raising taxes on larger companies 'will ultimately result in Seattle defunding its tax base.' 'This is an unnecessary tax on downtown Seattle's revitalization that comes with big risks to the fragile commercial tax base,' Scholes said. 'As the commercial tax base withers, the tax burden will shift to Seattle residents.' Harrell disagreed with DSA's stance. 'We're not trying to run businesses out of Seattle. We are open for businesses,' he said Thursday. The potential increased tax adds another wrinkle to the dynamic between Amazon — Seattle's largest employer — and city lawmakers. Amazon declined to comment on the new B&O tax proposal. The tech giant's relationship with Seattle began to strain in the years leading up to the pandemic and intensified in 2018 when the city council approved a per-employee payroll tax that targeted large local companies, in an effort to help the city raise tens of millions of dollars to pay for the effects of explosive growth driven by the tech boom. Amazon, which strongly opposed the tax, followed up by pouring money into city council elections and relocating thousands of employees from Seattle to nearby Bellevue, which it now considers part of its 'Puget Sound' headquarters. The city council ended up repealing the original payroll 'head tax' in 2018, and two years later it passed a 'Payroll Expense Tax' also known as JumpStart, which impacts large companies such as Amazon that meet a threshold for annual payroll expense. A streetcar with Amazon One branding moves through South Lake Union in Seattle. (GeekWire Photo / Kurt Schlosser) Jacob Vigdor, professor of public policy and governance at the University of Washington, said Amazon may respond negatively to the B&O tax proposal — 'but when push comes to shove they can pass the cost on to consumers,' he noted. 'When Seattle adopted new regulations for app-based delivery drivers last year, the apps responded by tacking on extra fees,' Vigdor told GeekWire. 'An Amazon purchase that triggers the new B&O tax could be subject to a similar surcharge.' In an interview with GeekWire earlier this year, Harrell explained how he was navigating the delicate balance faced by many city leaders — ensuring that Amazon continues bolstering the local economy and tax base, while addressing the ripple effects on housing, transportation, and communities. 'I've tried to have a very supportive relationship, but also one on mutual accountability,' Harrell said in January. 'And I think it's working out well.' It's not entirely clear how much companies pay in B&O tax, which applies to gross receipts attributable to business activity within the city limits. The mayor's office did not provide data on the number of companies that would have higher B&O tax obligations under the new proposal. 'It's a really wide diversity of businesses,' Jamie Housen, the mayor's spokesperson, said Thursday. 'It's difficult to pigeonhole one particular kind of business.' Some large employers expressed support for the proposal. 'Though mindful of the impact of further tax increases, we appreciate the opportunity to help make Seattle and its small business community more resilient,' Richard de Sam Lazaro, Expedia's senior director of government affairs for North America, said in a statement. The proposal comes after the state passed several new business taxes earlier this year. Kelly Fukai, CEO of the Washington Technology Industry Association, said she welcomes the city's attempt at reducing the tax burden for small- and medium-sized businesses. But she said the proposal 'still fails to address some of the unique challenges that small to medium sized tech startups face.' 'Tech startups are not traditional businesses and the impacts of these tax policies can create unintentional inequities,' she said via email. 'With the recent tax changes enacted by the legislature and compounding local tax changes, our startup community is struggling to determine just how much these will impact their ability to grow.' The B&O tax proposal needs approval from City Council before heading to the November ballot.
