Public commenters and several council members on Tuesday urged Mountlake Terrace officials to revisit the council’s recent approval of the Flock Safety camera system, citing privacy and data‑sharing concerns and asking for stronger local oversight.

Residents Audrey Meyer and Ode Puyfoulhou told the council they feared how footage and data might be shared with outside agencies and how that could affect immigrants and other vulnerable residents. "Please don't give them a reason to use resources here," Meyer said, arguing the city should reconsider its vote on the system. Puyfoulhou likened modern surveillance tools to historical state surveillance, saying "systems like Flock would have been [the Stasi's] dream come true."

The comments followed council discussion about the system's technical and policy implementation. Councilmember Page asked for what she called a "crash course" explaining what data the system will show police, how audits will work and what staff will monitor. Councilmembers also asked whether the city can track memoranda of understanding (MOUs) and how other cities might share access to footage. "How are we going to keep track of the MOUs and make sure other cities are following them?" Meyer asked during public comment.

Police and city staff said installation must go through the permitting process and that it will likely be several months before cameras are installed and operating. Councilmember Ryan asked if the public will see a map of camera locations; staff said there was no map in the packet but that they can share location information with council. Councilmembers requested notification when the system becomes active.

Several councilmembers recommended steps to respond to community concern: reestablish a community policing advisory board or use existing community ambassador programs as an oversight forum; review and possibly revise the police policy manual on camera use; and consider issuing a statement of city values to reassure residents. A council member recounted hearing an audio message informing a shopper they were "on camera" and noted that footage sometimes routes to neighboring cities' police departments, raising questions about intercity use and accountability.

The council did not take formal action on Flock at the meeting. Staff said they will provide additional information to the council, including a possible presentation by the camera vendor or police auditors and a map of proposed camera locations. Councilmembers indicated they want periodic updates and community outreach before the system becomes operational.