Stanwood to reactivate Flock Safety cameras in light of new law

EVERETT — The city of Stanwood plans to reactivate its Flock Safety cameras after legislation regulating automated license plate readers went into effect Monday, a city spokesperson said in a press release Wednesday.

In May 2025, the city deactivated its 14 cameras after receiving a public records request for footage. In June, Stanwood and Sedro-Woolley requested a court judgment that Flock footage is either not public record or is exempt from the Public Records Act for privacy reasons. In November, a Skagit County judge denied the request, effectively ruling that Flock footage is subject to public records requests.

Flock cameras are a type of automated license plate reader that use artificial intelligence to analyze vehicle footage. Many law enforcement agencies across the country have implemented the technology as an investigative tool to help locate stolen vehicles and missing persons.

The new legislation, Senate Bill 6002, explicitly exempts automated license plate reader footage from the Public Records Act. Gov. Bob Ferguson signed the bill Monday, and it went into effect immediately.

https://www.heraldnet.com/2026/04/01/stanwood-to-reactivate-flock-safety-cameras-in-light-of-new-law/