Mountlake Terrace residents press council on Flock camera contract, urge stronger disclosure safeguards

Several Mountlake Terrace residents urged the City Council to delay or rework terms of the city’s recently authorized contract with Flock, a commercial networked camera provider, citing data‑sharing and disclosure concerns.

The public comment came during the council’s general public-comment period, where residents asked the council to either pause signing or tighten the contract’s disclosure and memorandum-of-understanding (MOU) language before the city relies on the system.

Resident Sarah Duncan Clark said she trusts the police but left last week’s meeting “unheard, unsettled, frustrated,” and asked the council to “take a very careful look at the contract” before the city proceeds, citing uncertainty about how footage disclosure and MOUs could allow unintended recipients to get community footage.

Resident Dustin de Cook told council members he had submitted written comments and cited news reports and examples where Flock’s nationwide system has been used outside the originating jurisdiction; he said those incidents show the risk of data being accessed in ways communities did not intend. “This is just one of many, many examples that are easy to find with just a little bit of research,” de Cook said.

Haley King, who said she reviews contracts in her day job, urged the council to revise the contract language in section 5.3, which addresses disclosure of footage, and to require a public review of any revisions before the city signs an MOU. “Good faith is legally meaningless,” King said. She recommended delaying final execution until contract and MOU language is “airtight.”

Council follow-up: City Manager said that after the council authorized signing “by the 5–2 vote,” the contract was executed. The manager said no substantive changes had been made to the city’s internal policy or the MOU since last week’s meeting, but staff would share MOU language with council. “MOUs aren't typically done by council action. I'd be happy to share the language with you,” the city manager said.

Council member Jenny Page recommended an advisory group or committee to audit and publicly report on Flock usage and data disclosures; she said a quarterly public report would increase transparency and community trust. Other council members said an existing Police Advisory Committee previously fulfilled a similar role and could be revived if community interest exists.

What happened and next steps: The council had previously authorized the contract by a 5–2 vote; staff reported the contract has been executed. Council members and residents requested staff share MOU language with council and discussed forming a citizen advisory body or reconstituting the Police Advisory Committee to review system use and disclosures. No new council vote was recorded in this session on amendments to the MOU or the internal policy; staff said the MOU would be shared and further review is possible.

Ending: The item remains an active concern for the council and members of the public. Residents requested explicit, enforceable contract language limiting off‑jurisdiction access and stronger community oversight; staff said it will circulate the MOU text and that further council review is possible before additional implementation steps.