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Renton council votes 4–3 to pause Flock ALPR camera system after hours of public comment
Summary
Following extensive public comment about privacy and possible misuse, the Renton City Council voted 4–3 to pause the city’s Flock automated‑license‑plate‑reader system pending additional information about data sharing, retention and contractual implications.
Renton — The Renton City Council voted 4–3 to pause the city’s Flock automated license‑plate reader (ALPR) system while staff return with more information about usage, data sharing and oversight. The vote followed hours of public comment from residents who urged the city to disable Flock, and an extended council discussion about balancing investigative benefit against privacy and equity concerns.
Councilmember Rivera moved the pause, citing community concerns and a lack of detailed public information; his motion won on a roll call that recorded the council‑wide tally as Perez Aye, Prince Nay, McCurvin Aye, O'Halloran Nay, Rivera Aye, Alverson Nay and Vaughn Aye.
Why it matters: Several residents and advocates told the council ALPR networks have been misused elsewhere, can provide national searchability of vehicle movements, and pose particular risks to immigrant and protest communities. Speakers cited national reporting and academic work alleging improper access or sharing in other jurisdictions and urged Renton to shut down its system until stronger safeguards were in place.
Public testimony and police response: Ellie Robertshaw, a Renton resident, asked the council to "turn off the 24 FLOCK cameras in Renton," saying the systems present risks to immigrant communities. Leslie Jensen and other commenters cited specific incidents and outside reports alleging misuse of Flock data. Commander Hassinger, investigations commander for Renton Police Department, told the council that the department uses Flock for violent‑felony investigations and that current local retention is short term (described to council as about 21 days) and that searches require supervisor approval. Hassinger said policy prohibits using the system for immigration searches and that outside‑agency requests would need supervisory review.
Council debate focused on two competing priorities: several council members described real investigative cases where ALPR data had produced leads in homicides or missing‑person investigations, while others emphasized the fear in immigrant communities and the need for transparent audits and limiting broad data sharing. Rivera said the city had recorded more than 632,000 unique plate reads in the prior 30 days and said that scale reinforced the need to answer community questions about access and safeguards before continuing routine operations.
Next steps: The pause requires staff to return with more detailed information, including audits, contract implications and clarity on which outside agencies can access data and under what conditions. The council did not rescind the existing contract on the spot; instead, it directed staff to provide information the council requested before making additional policy or contract decisions.
Quote: "I move the motion for a pause of our Flock cameras until we can get more information to address the concerns of the public," Councilmember Rivera said before the vote. "That's a lot of plate reads in 30 days — it deserves a closer look."
What the vote means: The pause halts routine operation pending staff follow‑up and does not automatically delete retained data; council asked staff to explain retention and sharing policies in the report back to the council.
