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Eye in sky finds illegal Pierce County buildings

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TACOMA, Wash. —

Pierce County has identified more than 3,200 illegal garages and other structures under a controversial program that uses aerial photographs to spot buildings constructed without a permit.

Gordon Aleshire, assistant director of the county's planning department, told a County Council committee Monday that the program has prompted hundreds of property owners to seek amnesty for their illegal buildings. And it has generated more than $107,000 in revenue for the county as property owners seek building permits they should have obtained in the first place.

But council members remain critical of the program, which some local residents see as a Big Brother-style high-tech surveillance program.

"This has been a troubling program to a number of council members," Chairman Roger Bush, R-Frederickson, said at a meeting of the council's Community Development Committee on Monday.