Why Is There a Surveillance Tower Outside CenturyLink Stadium?

This is a Skywatch Sentinel. Bernard Rodriguez

This watchtower appeared today at the entrance of CenturyLink Stadium—and it appears to be another in a long line of surveillance devices rolled out by Seattle police with no explanation or deference to privacy concerns.

Thanks to citizen watchdog Phil Mocek, we know the tower was purchased by Seattle police in 2010. It's listed in an inventory spreadsheet he obtained as a "surveillance unit."

The tower comes from a company called Skywatch and is called the Sentinel. It features tinted windows and can be outfitted with thermal cameras. The manufacturer suggests using it for "prison work parties." Another version of the tower is designed for military use.

Several police officers set it up today at the stadium, according to a tipster.

There's a Seahawks preseason football game at the stadium tomorrow.

The lesson of the Seattle Police Department's deployment of drones, a wireless network with data-sucking capabilities, and plans for crime "forecasting" tech was supposed to be that the citizens of Seattle deserve an explanation prior to the launch of powerful new surveillance tools. All were dropped after pushback from the public and civil liberties activists.

When the SPD deactivated its wireless network, Sergeant Sean Whitcomb told us, "We want to make sure that we have safeguards and policies in place so people with legitimate privacy concerns aren't worried about how it's being used."

The city's surveillance ordinance, passed after the drone fiasco, explicitly cites "the lack of public process leading up to the decisions to use certain surveillance equipment."

The ordinance requires SPD to gain approval from the City Council before deploying new devices.

It's not clear what prompted the installation of the watchtower or whether the council has approved. The SPD did not respond today to requests for comment on Twitter and over the phone.

Tip

Phil Mocek