Issaquah committee hears presentation on Flock license-plate cameras, asks administration to develop plan

Issaquah’s Services, Safety and Parks Committee on Feb. 25 heard a presentation on Flock license-plate cameras and asked the city administration to prepare a plan, including cost estimates and a notification strategy, before any purchase is finalized.

Chief Schwann of the Issaquah Police Department described the cameras as automated license-plate readers that law enforcement can use to locate stolen vehicles and assist investigations, and repeatedly emphasized they are not facial-recognition systems. “It’s not facial recognition,” Schwann said, adding the cameras “do not collect biometric or sensitive information” and “we’re not gonna be tracking anybody.”

The presentation said 69 agencies in Washington use Flock systems and that Issaquah currently has access to data from four Flock systems; there are about 10 privately owned Flock cameras inside the city, four of which the department can access now. Schwann told the committee the vendor can provide a map showing how many…