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Federal Way police say no federal access to Flock data; committee weighs ALPR limits and monitoring
Summary
Deputy Chief Casey Jones told the Parks & Recreation committee the city's stationary Flock cameras have shown "zero" federal requests for access and are audited monthly; mobile ALPRs on patrol cars were turned off because state law made it infeasible to geo‑fence protected places. Council members asked for ongoing access lists and theft‑recovery data.
Deputy Chief Casey Jones told the committee the department runs monthly audits of Flock (automated license plate recognition) system access and "so far, we've had zero" requests from federal agencies to view the city's Flock data.
That assurance framed a largely technical discussion about how Federal Way uses automated license plate readers (ALPRs). Jones said stationary Flock-brand cameras remain in use and are sited to avoid sensitive locations; the department shut off mobile ALPRs mounted on patrol cars because state restrictions make it difficult to guarantee those systems would never capture license plates near protected places such as schools or churches.
The committee pressed for two pieces of practical follow-up. Council member Lydia Aspha Dawson said she wanted a routine report listing which agencies have accessed the audit log so elected leaders and the public can see who is touching the data. "Is there is it feasible just to kind of get a list of here's who's access it," she asked. Jones said a records manager already compiles a monthly log that can be distributed.
Separately, several council members asked whether turning off mobile ALPRs will raise vehicle‑theft rates. Jones and other speakers said ALPRs have helped recover stolen vehicles and that the removal of mobile units is expected to reduce some recovery capacity, but the department will track trends and return with data. "We've had hundreds and hundreds" of recoveries aided by ALPRs, Jones said when asked about past performance.
The committee also sought clarification about whether federal agencies such as the FBI or ICE have access. Jones said, "The FBI does not have access. No federal agencies have access to ours right now." He described civil and criminal liabilities that would apply if third parties improperly used city data and reiterated the department's intent to preserve an audit trail for all searches.
Next steps: council members asked staff to circulate the monthly audit list to the council and to return with comparative crime and vehicle‑recovery statistics to measure the operational impact of disabling mobile ALPRs.
