Lynnwood reconsiders Flock, discusses immigration resolution

LYNNWOOD — Amid community concern about federal immigration enforcement, the Lynnwood City Council discussed its contract with Flock Safety and a resolution affirming immigrant rights at its work session Monday.

In January 2025, the council unanimously approved a contract for 25 Flock cameras. Flock Safety cameras are automated license plate readers 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.

In late October and early November, reports from the University of Washington and The Daily Herald found that out-of-state agencies accessed Lynnwood’s network — along with several others in Snohomish County — seemingly for the purpose of civil immigration enforcement. Around that time, Lynnwood Police Chief Cole Langdon paused the network entirely. The City Council formalized the pause in November.

Shortly after the cameras went live in June, Langdon learned that out-of-state agencies were accessing the network. Many agencies, sometimes unknowingly, had enabled Flock’s “nationwide lookup” tool, which allows any participating agency in the U.S. to search their network. In return, the feature allows them to search any participating network in the country.

https://www.heraldnet.com/news/lynnwood-reconsiders-flock-discusses-immigration-resolution/