Set to be purchased next month, the software will reportedly be used to scan and compare surveillance video to the city’s mugshot database.

With the city facing mounting opposition for several other privacy issues, police were quick to claim that the software would only be used when surveillance video of a suspected crime was obtained.

“An officer has to reasonably believe that a person has been involved in a crime or committed a crime,” Seattle Police Asst. Chief Carmen Best said.

Despite reassurances from the city and police, surveillance-weary residents pointed to the city’s continued abuses with surveillance technology.