Council approves reactivation of Flock license-plate readers under new state limits

Sedro-Woolley’s council voted to resume use of its seven Flock license-plate-reader (LPR) devices after staff said state law changes and vendor adjustments addressed prior concerns.

Police staff explained the cameras were installed in March 2025 and deactivated in June 2025 amid privacy and data-access questions. The chief told the council the devices provide plate-match alerts for stolen vehicles, missing persons and wanted subjects and that state law (Senate Bill 602) now limits cross-jurisdictional sharing and clarifies data ownership and retention. Staff also noted the vendor disabled a national-lookup tool that had raised the biggest prior exposure.

“Basically those license plate readers give us alerts on stolen vehicles, missing persons, wanted subjects and such,” the chief said, describing operational uses and how staff plan to confirm hits before taking enforcement action. The department has reviewed camera siting to avoid prohibited locations such as school entrances and hospitals and negotiated a pro-rated billing adjustment while the cameras were offline.

Council Member Caul moved to restart the system; Council Member Henderson seconded. The council approved the motion. Supporters said limited, targeted use of LPRs improves solvability for serious crimes and missing-person cases; some councilors asked about cybersecurity and the vendor’s responsiveness, and staff said the city will register a policy with the state attorney general and publish locally required safeguards.

What’s next: officers will receive updated training tied to the department’s LPR policy and the city will implement reporting and transparency measures required by state law.