81 cameras track the license plate of every vehicle moving through our city — building a permanent database of your movements, with no warrant required and no opt-out.
Flock Safety is a private company based in Atlanta, GA that sells automated license plate reader (ALPR) technology to police departments across the country. Their cameras photograph every vehicle that passes — capturing your license plate, vehicle characteristics, and precise location with a timestamp.
In June 2024, the City of Everett signed a two-year, $500,000 contract to deploy Flock cameras across our community. The cameras went live in October 2024. Today, 81 cameras silently record the movements of every resident and visitor in Everett.
In March 2026, Washington passed the Driver Privacy Act in response to public outcry placing some limits on ALPR use. But fundamental concerns remain for Everett residents.
Every trip through Everett creates a timestamped record. This isn't targeted surveillance of suspects — it's blanket tracking of everyone, residents and visitors alike, with no warrant and no opt-out.
SB 6002 restricts state agencies from sharing ALPR data, but federal agencies — including ICE and DHS — can still compel access through legal processes. Everett neighbors facing immigration risk have real cause for concern.
Knowing your car's movements are tracked can discourage attendance at protests, immigration services, reproductive health clinics, political meetings, or houses of worship. Surveillance shapes behavior even when not used.
License plate readers generate false matches. Communities of color face disproportionate traffic stops. Wrongful detentions based on ALPR errors have cost other cities seven-figure legal settlements.
Flock was sold to Everett as an auto-theft tool. But the data can be used to investigate any criminal matter. History shows that once surveillance infrastructure exists, its use inevitably expands beyond its original purpose.
Your location data lives on Flock Safety's private servers in Georgia. Data held by private companies has different legal protections than government-held data — and Flock has previously been a target of data breach attempts.
Two-year contract with Flock Safety
signed June 2024
Communities across Washington have successfully pushed back against Flock Safety. Everett can do the same.
Council meetings are open to the public every Wednesday at 6:30 PM. Three minutes at a microphone can change the conversation. Sign the petition. Send an email. Show up.
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