Seattle Police Cameras – The city does have the missing records!

Finally, an update! First off, I do have confirmation that the police installed the Canon VB-M40PTZ camera. Second, I think the reason for the coverup is becoming more clear. There appears to be quite a few inefficiencies in this project. The one that rises to the top is the $9795.19 RADIUS server. Unfortunately I still don’t have any maps. These records were returned on two CDs by the Seattle Department of Information Technology. Thanks to everyone there for cooperating with my records request!

I’m quite happy that the Canon VB-M40PTZ camera was used. Without the on-board facial recognition, the camera will need to be kept streaming constantly to achieve the same goal. Unfortunately, I’m now learning that that this won’t be a problem! There are 11 fiber interconnects along Alaskan Way, meaning there will be plenty of bandwidth to do exactly that. I still don’t have full details on what was installed and where.

The most concerning thing I’ve found is the cost of this project. For starters, the $9795.19 RADIUS server. Even your old personal computer from the 90s can perform thousands of RADIUS authentications per second. (RADIUS is an authentication protocol. This server is responsible for granting and logging access to the network.) Another fine example is the switch to the Canon camera. The department had to pay almost $9000 more for upgrading the 30 cameras. Would the amount have been less if the vendor that bid with Cannon cameras was selected as the winner?