Judge denies request to exempt Flock footage from Public Records Act

MOUNT VERNON — A Skagit County Superior Court judge denied a request from Stanwood and Sedro-Woolley to exempt Flock camera footage from the Public Records Act.

Judge Elizabeth Neidzwski said Thursday that Public Records Act exemptions don’t apply to the footage an individual requested from the cities and that the footage is considered public record.

Cities across Snohomish County were awaiting Thursday’s decision to gain clarity on how the state’s Public Records Act could apply to Flock camera footage. Some were waiting on the decision to determine whether or not to install Flock cameras at all.

In July, the cities of Stanwood and Sedro-Woolley filed a motion for a declaratory judgment after receiving public records requests for Flock camera footage. The cities argued Flock footage should either not be considered public record or be exempt from the Public Records Act for privacy reasons. Judge Elizabeth Neidzwski denied the motion Thursday.

https://www.heraldnet.com/news/judge-denies-request-to-exempt-flock-footage-from-public-records-act/