Redmond police say ALPR data-sharing safeguards worked after Flock network errors; council seeks written assurances and retention review

Redmond Police Chief Daryl Lowe briefed the Public Safety and Human Services Committee on Oct. 21 about the city’s automated license-plate reader (ALPR) program managed by Flock and a separate drone-as-first-responder program. Lowe said Redmond never enabled Flock’s nationwide data-sharing option; an external software update defaulted some programs elsewhere to national sharing, but Redmond’s implementation and internal controls prevented any unauthorized queries of its data.

Lowe described the city’s safeguards: requests for ALPR data must be approved centrally by the Office of the Chief of Police, and searches by department staff require a case number and an investigative nexus. An internal audit and a Flock audit confirmed that, while network-sharing links to Lincoln County (Idaho) and Medford (Oregon) were mistakenly active in Redmond’s account, those external networks were deactivated and neither agency requested Redmond data. Lowe also said no federal agency has ever requested Redmond’s ALPR information.

Council members pressed for…