The Kent City Council voted on Sept. 17 to remove the October deadline for deciding whether to deploy Flock Security’s camera system and left the matter on the city’s pending list for future consideration.

Council members debated privacy, vendor oversight, and recent litigation tied to Flock Security during a lengthy discussion in unfinished business. Some council members said their primary concern was the company and how its national network could be used, not the local police department’s operation of cameras. One council member summarized the county’s concern by saying the issue "has nothing to do, at least from my perspective, with my trusted chief or the team," adding that the broader corporate ownership and outside uses of the network were the worry.

Council members also cited recent lawsuits and decisions by other cities as part of their reason to postpone a final vote. Speakers noted reports that some larger U.S. cities have scaled back or ended contracts with Flock and that new litigation had been filed in the prior week. Several council members said the core technology available to the city had not changed since their earlier review; their questions centered on governance, national data-sharing, and emerging court cases.

Council member Melissa placed a motion on the floor to remove the October deadline and keep the item pending; the motion passed in council. One member, Heidi, announced she would abstain from the vote because she will not attend the committee meeting next month. Council did not adopt an ordinance or direct staff to execute a contract Sept. 17; instead it left the topic for a future committee discussion and potential future vote.

Why it matters: license-plate-recognition camera systems can raise privacy and civil-liberties issues when images or data are shared across broader networks. Council members weighing adoption cited both public-safety benefits and reputational, governance, and legal risks tied to third-party platforms.

Next steps: The item remains on the pending list. Councilors and staff said they will continue to monitor litigation and municipal decisions involving Flock and will return the item to committee for further discussion when council determines the timing is right.