Residents press Redmond to end Flock camera contract; city to pursue legal review and security audit options
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Summary
Multiple residents and security researchers urged Redmond to cancel its contract with Flock automated license‑plate readers, citing reported vulnerabilities and potential misuse of data; council previously suspended the cameras and staff were directed to prepare a legal review of the contract.
Dozens of residents and cybersecurity experts urged Redmond City Council on Nov. 18 to cancel the city's contract with Flock Security and remove automated license‑plate reader cameras installed in neighborhoods.
Speakers cited recent research (John Gaines' paper) claiming multiple hardware and platform vulnerabilities and said media reports and court decisions indicate broad access to Flock‑captured images. Several commenters — including Jacqueline Kimsey, Caleb Lee and TJ Horner — said that data collected by vendor‑owned platforms has been accessed by federal agencies in other jurisdictions and argued the city cannot guarantee vendor compliance without independent audits. Horner summarized the researcher’s findings as alleging 51 vulnerabilities, including an externally accessible button that could enable control of the camera, image retention on devices, and weak web authentication that could allow unauthorized access.
Other commenters and speakers offered counterpoints. Hank Myers and others said the cited studies did not include Redmond specifically and defended the cameras’ public‑safety purpose (identifying vehicles linked to serious felons). Several speakers noted the council had already voted to suspend active use of the cameras earlier this fall.
Council and committee members reported followup steps: the public safety committee directed staff to prepare a legal review of the Flock contract so council can evaluate options and next steps. Director or staff representatives noted that because Flock owns the platform and hardware the city’s technical ability to revoke access is limited to contractual controls and vendor action.
No formal vote to cancel the contract occurred at the Nov. 18 business meeting; council’s near‑term actions center on a legal review, consideration of independent security audits and further committee discussion. Residents and advocates requested auditable chain‑of‑custody assurances and third‑party security reviews before any vendor contracts are allowed to continue.
What remains unresolved: whether Redmond will pursue contract termination, require an independent security audit at the vendor’s expense, or pursue stricter contractual and technical protections; those items will return to committee and council for further deliberation.