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Resident urges council to pause use of Flock license-plate cameras, citing privacy and oversight gaps
Summary
A public commenter warned the council that reactivating Flock license-plate reader cameras could risk privacy and allow 'daisy‑chained' data sharing, and urged the city to adopt a clear camera policy with public input and independent audit procedures.
At the April 9 Stanwood City Council meeting a resident urged the council to halt the city’s reactivation of Flock license‑plate reader cameras and to establish a comprehensive, public-facing policy before cameras are used again.
The public commenter told the council the Washington law that restricts camera use leaves gaps and does not cover all sensitive locations. “I’m surprised to learn that Stan would turn the flock cameras back on,” the commenter said, arguing the city should not resume operations without public input. The speaker warned that local agencies can “daisy chain” license‑plate data to other jurisdictions and ultimately to federal agencies and noted that audit requirements in the state law do not require an independent reviewer.
The commenter gave several examples of misuse and said trust-based camera searches “can be thwarted by bad actors,” including officers conducting searches for personal reasons. The speaker urged the council to craft a deliberate camera policy modeled on recent community-engagement efforts the city used for other local policies.
Chair thanked the speaker for the comment and closed the public-comment period. The council did not take immediate action on camera policy at the meeting but heard related praise and questions during later public remarks about city events.
