SEATTLE (AP) — The Justice Department is suing the city of Seattle to block the release of information that it says could jeopardize ongoing FBI investigations.
Seattle City Light is planning to release documents about where the FBI has placed six hidden surveillance cameras on utility poles, pursuant to public records requests by news reporters and a privacy activist.
In a lawsuit filed Monday in U.S. District Court, the Justice Department said that if the locations of the cameras are made public, it could tip off investigation subjects that they’re being monitored. It said the FBI provided the information to the city under a promise of confidentiality to prevent the cameras from being removed or destroyed by utility workers.
Kimberly Mills, a spokeswoman for the Seattle City Attorney’s Office, said the city’s lawyers determined the documents are public, but the city will abide by whatever the federal court decides.
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