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Granite Falls council hears update on FLOCK ALPR deployment, legal risks and community concerns
Summary
City officials updated the council on the deployment, data uses and public-records risks associated with FLOCK automated license-plate readers; staff presented options and three residents offered public comment. No formal policy change or vote was taken.
City officials briefed the Granite Falls City Council on the city's use of FLOCK automated license-plate reader (ALPR) technology on Feb. 4, outlining how the system operates, public-records risks and possible policy or legislative options.
City Manager Jeff Balentine, City Attorney Emily Guildner and Consultant Police Chief Tom Dalton walked the council through a slide set summarizing how ALPR cameras and software collect and index license-plate data, how users search the database, network and audit functions, patterns in public-records requests (PRRs) relating to FLOCK data, reported issues with some PRRs, and a pending declaratory-judgment action affecting access and retention. The presenters described a range of options, including monitoring litigation, limiting retention/search functionality, and awaiting potential legislative fixes modeled after exemptions enacted in other states.
Three members of the public — Marshall Cruise (Lake Stevens), Cathie Tower (Granite Falls) and Mariah Page (Granite Falls) — spoke during public comment on the item. The transcript records their participation but does not include verbatim remarks; the record indicates community concern and engagement on privacy and transparency related to ALPR data and public-records access.
The council did not take formal action on the issue at the meeting. No motion to change policy or to decommission equipment is recorded in the minutes. Officials framed the presentation as an update on legal risks and policy options and did not announce any immediate operational changes.
The item remains active for staff follow-up: the presentation recorded current status, referenced a declaratory-judgment action, and listed options for further council consideration, including potential changes to search and retention practices or following any state-level legislative developments.