Surveillance technology and hiring bonuses do not prevent crime, are exorbitantly expensive and divert funding from evidence-based solutions such as housing stability, food security, emergency financial assistance for those experiencing financial instability that are proven to reduce community violence.

Councilmembers who vote to approve more surveillance and hiring bonuses will be voting to defund ALL of the following:

• Food access,

• Worker protections,

• Eviction defense,

• Rental assistance,

• Tenant services,

• Legal counsel for homeless youth,

• Behavioral health services, and

• Programs addressing gender based violence

Mayor Harrell’s proposed budget cuts ALL of those items by $5.5M combined which is how much $50K hiring bonuses for cops and the additional surveillance technologies will cost.

If City Council chooses not to let SPD acquire additional surveillance technologies (CCTV & RTCC) and chooses not to give cops $50k hiring bonuses, it can undo all of those cuts listed above. This isn’t expanding services, it is maintaining them which is the bare minimum the city should be doing.