Hi neighbors,
Yesterday brought another reminder that Mountlake Terrace isn’t the only city wrestling with the risks of Flock Safety cameras.
The Everett Herald reported that Stanwood has shut off its 14 Flock cameras while the courts decide whether footage from the system is subject to Washington’s Public Records Act. You can read the full article here: Stanwood pauses Flock cameras amid public records lawsuits.
Here’s what happened:
Stanwood installed Flock cameras earlier this year.
In April, someone submitted a records request for all camera footage during a single hour on March 30.
Rather than provide the data, the city filed suit in Skagit County, arguing that Flock footage isn’t a public record unless it’s already been downloaded by police.
The individual who filed the request, Jose Rodriguez, responded with his own lawsuit in Snohomish County, arguing the city is violating state law by refusing to release the footage.
Until the courts sort it out, Stanwood has shut off its cameras — and stopped paying Flock.
This case could set an important precedent. Washington law clearly exempts red-light camera footage from disclosure, but it says nothing about automated license plate readers. Cities like Stanwood and Sedro-Woolley (which joined the lawsuit) are trying to argue that unless officers pull the data down, it doesn’t count as a “record.” That’s a shaky stance — and if the courts rule against them, it could mean every Flock-equipped city in the state has to respond to similar requests.
And here’s the part that should give Mountlake Terrace serious pause: before the June 5 vote, an attorney from the city’s contract legal team flagged this very issue. They wrote,
There are also complicated Public Records Act issues to sort through regarding access and control over the videos and data, and what happens when those records are requested by someone under the PRA [Public Records Act].
But the City Manager never shared that concern with the Council. The people making the decision didn’t even know it existed.
Now Stanwood is living out the scenario our own legal team warned about.
Mountlake Terrace still has time to learn from this. Sedona is pulling out. Stanwood is paused. Cities across the country are reconsidering. Our councilmembers should, too.
If you share these concerns, now is the time to reach out to our City Council. Ask them to revisit the contract before the cameras are ever installed. A simple email or a short comment at a meeting can make a real difference.
Thanks for reading,
Dustin