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Resident urges Aberdeen to remove FLOC automated license-plate cameras
Summary
A new Aberdeen resident told council the city's use of FLOC automated license-plate readers threatens privacy and could create legal liabilities; he urged the council to turn the cameras off and consider an ordinance banning automated plate readers.
At the July 8 meeting, resident Jacob Roundy urged Aberdeen City Council to remove FLOC automated license-plate readers and to consider an ordinance banning automated license-plate tracking.
Roundy told the council he views mass automated surveillance as a "fundamental violation of our constitutional rights to privacy," saying the systems create a digital record of residents’ movements and that third-party companies may provide access to federal agencies, citing a University of Washington audit referenced in his remarks. He warned of legal and financial liability and said he had asked the council to "reject mass automated surveillance entirely" and to remove the cameras from city streets.
Roundy also referenced court and legislative developments. He said a Skagit County Superior Court ruling placed some FLOC footage under public-records law and that state legislation (referred to in the presentation as SB 6,002) has tightened guardrails on such technology, raising potential criminal penalties for misuse, which he said increases local risk. He urged reliance on professionally managed public displays instead of distributed consumer surveillance.
City council did not take immediate action during the public-comment period; staff and council will have the comment on record for potential follow-up with legal and procurement staff.
