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The Mountlake Terrace City Council at its Thursday business meeting voted 6-0 to cancel the City’s contract with the Flock Safety license plate recognition system. Councilmember Laura Sonmore was absent from the meeting.
In making the motion to cancel the contract, which came at the end of Thursday’s meeting, Mayor Pro Tem Bryan Wahl noted that some councilmembers had favored the Flock camera system to improve public safety.
Instead, Wahl said, “We have seen that it has been weaponized against cities and our residents and brought great division to our community. “We’ve heard from our residents about the many troubles and challenges that this has this possibility of bringing. I think it’s time to pull the plug.”
There was no discussion before the council took the vote.
“The launch of the Flock program was on hold awaiting this final decision, and it was never implemented in the City,” said City Manager Jeff Niten. “Council acknowledges and appreciates the opinions expressed by the community over the last several months. The City has been listening. The voices of residents played a part in this final decision, along with many other city, state and nationwide factors.
Wahl, Mayor Kyoko Matsumoto Wright and Councilmembers Rick Ryan, William Paige and Laura Sonmore voted in favor of the system. Councilmembers Erin Murray and Steve Woodard voted against it.
At the Sept. 25 meeting, Paige said he changed his mind about Flock because he was concerned about Flock’s relationship with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the company’s lack of transparency and honesty about their activities.
At the same meeting, Mountlake Terrace resident Theo Moriarty mentioned a lawsuit in Norfolk, Virginia, where a Norfolk resident sued the city and Flock after he found out Flock had tracked him 526 times with the city’s 176 Flock cameras. Moriarty said that the state of Illinois found that Flock was sharing its data with federal agencies.
The Washington State Standard reported earlier this month that state lawmakers next year hope to rein in law enforcement’s use of automated license plate readers, amid revelations federal immigration authorities are using the data.
I disagree. Flock didn’t bring “great division” to our city—if anything it brought residents together, primarily in solidarity against the implementation of a surveillance system/network with which the majority were not comfortable, especially at this point in time given the actions of the federal government and increasing anti-immigrant sentiment. Nevermind the cost and lawsuits that were undoubtedly next….
Residents offered intelligent, heartfelt, personal commentary and critique about why this system didn’t belong here. People stood bravely at the podium in City Hall/Zoomed in to share important knowledge, historical perspective, opinions and stories. This topic mattered to people. And although it was sarcastically described as the council’s “favorite topic” last night, again…..it kept coming up because it mattered. People cared. That’s GOOD. We don’t want apathetic residents and voters, do we?! I sure don’t…..
A difference of opinion isn’t necessarily divisive, it’s an opportunity for public and civil discourse and debate —-which Flock unintentionally provided.
I am so grateful that so many members of the community came out to voice their opinions regarding the installation—both for and against, I thank you. Everyone had an opportunity to weigh in, and doing so publicly required great bravery, which I saw repeatedly.
Well done, Mountlake Terrace residents. This victory belongs to you!
I applaud the desicion. Thanks for listening the residents voices!
This took way too long, but glad they pulled the plug. I agree with comments Sam Doyle made that, if anything, this process united and activated our community. It did not divide.
Congratulations! We are having this same discussion with our Lynnwood City Council.