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Mill Creek police defend Flock camera program as residents raise privacy and data-sharing concerns
Summary
At a council meeting, residents pressed Mill Creek officials over Flock Safety license-plate readers; Police Chief White and a Flock representative said the city limits retention to 24 hours, restricts sharing to three county agencies and has audit controls, while opponents warned of outside access and constitutional risks.
Mill Creek — Residents pressed the City Council on Jan. 27 over the city’s contract with Flock Safety, a vendor that provides automatic license-plate recognition (ALPR) cameras, and Mill Creek Police officials defended the system’s safeguards and local controls.
“ALPR data retention in Mill Creek is actually currently set at 24 hours,” Police Chief White said, describing a city policy that limits how long plate images are kept. The chief said the department negotiated additional restrictions, including a signed data-sharing agreement that currently allows searches only by Everett, Lake Stevens and Mukilteo police departments.
The presentation included technical details and legal context. Chief White told the council the department entered a service agreement in November 2024 and installed its first camera on Sept. 29, 2025. He said the city disabled the system’s national…
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