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Dozens of Olympians urge city to cut Flock Safety cameras; council schedules study session
Summary
Dozens of residents urged the Olympia City Council to end its contract with Flock Safety and remove automated license-plate readers, citing security vulnerabilities, public-record rulings and threats to sanctuary protections. Council scheduled a Dec. 2 study session to review the system.
Dozens of residents filled council chambers and logged in virtually Tuesday to press the Olympia City Council to end the city’s contract for Flock Safety automated license-plate readers and remove city-owned cameras.
"I call upon the members of this council to immediately deactivate these cameras," said Chris Lewis, a longtime Olympia resident and member of WFC 443, listing concerns about a privately operated database and federal access. Leslie Cushman, who has raised the issue with city leaders for more than a year, urged the city to “erase and destroy all of the data in your possession.”
Speakers pointed to a recent Washington court ruling that has driven a surge of public-record requests for ALPR data and to published reports showing federal agencies have queried Flock data in multiple jurisdictions. Testimony described potential risks to survivors of domestic violence, people seeking reproductive health care, and members of immigrant communities who rely on Olympia’s sanctuary-city policies.
City council members acknowledged the depth of public concern and the complexity of the operational and legal issues. Council Member Gilman said resident filings and public records returns — including one community member’s report of millions of images — had changed her understanding of the program. “I’ve got a lot of learning to go back through,” she said.
Mayor Pro Tem Nguyen and other council members said they were not prepared to make a final decision at the meeting but noted that the council will hold a focused study session on Dec. 2 to hear details from the police department, staff and outside experts. Several speakers urged immediate removal; others said the council should consider a pause to address data-access, transparency, and contract language.
Council members asked staff to assemble more information about the contract, data-sharing practices and security vulnerabilities, and to describe options for removal, amendment or nonrenewal. The study session is expected to allow question-and-answer exchanges and staff presentations; public comment is not offered during study sessions but the community may attend or watch remotely.
