Edmonds becomes 3rd city in the county to cancel Flock Safety contract
Published 1:30 am Wednesday, May 27, 2026
EVERETT — The city of Edmonds has canceled its automated license place reader contract with Flock Safety, Mayor Mike Rosen said at a council meeting Tuesday.
The council approved a two-year contract with the company in October 2024 for 19 cameras throughout the city. The contract was entirely funded by a $131,880 grant from the Washington Auto Theft Prevention Authority.
Edmonds is the third city in Snohomish County to cancel its contract with the controversial automated license plate reader company.
Edmonds has had its camera network paused since December, city spokesperson Natasha Ryan said in an email Wednesday. In October 2025, the University of Washington reported that federal agencies — including U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Homeland Security Investigations — accessed several Flock networks throughout the state. Shortly after, The Daily Herald reported that federal agencies accessed several networks in Snohomish County. Edmonds was not included in the report, but records later obtained by The Daily Herald show that some federal agencies accessed Edmonds’ network in the same time frame.
“Not only here in Edmonds but across the country, (Flock cameras) have been very effective,” Rosen said. “When there are Amber Alerts, they have found missing children. They’ve helped find murder suspects, they’ve helped in human trafficking, they’ve helped in stolen cars, and they do it in remarkable speed and across jurisdictions. However, they also come with their own controversies.”
On May 18, 404 Media reported that the FBI is seeking to spend up to $36 million for access to a nationwide license plate reader network without warrants. Only two companies — Flock Safety and Motorola Solutions — have the nationwide capacity the FBI is looking for, according to the report. The report contributed to the city’s decision to cancel the contract, Rosen said.
“We will not be bringing Flock cameras back to Edmonds anytime soon,” he said.
On March 30, Gov. Bob Ferguson signed Senate Bill 6002, which placed statewide restrictions on automated license plate readers, including prohibiting local agencies from providing direct network access to federal and out-of-state agencies.
Rosen also cited general community concern about public surveillance and increased immigration enforcement throughout the country.
“I know many of us have had concerns and many in our community have had them as well about potential challenges to personal rights, and so it’s jarring to hear the latest news and I want to thank the mayor,” Edmonds council member Chris Eck said Tuesday.
In December 2025, the Mountlake Terrace canceled its contract with Flock Safety before its cameras were installed, citing community division and public records concerns.
In February, the Lynnwood City Council ended its contract with the company seven months after it first installed the cameras. Many council members expressed their distrust of Flock, regardless of the legislation that was making its way through the Legislature at the time.
Everett and Stanwood had paused their networks but have since opted to reactivate in light of the new law exempting automated license plate reader footage from the Public Records Act. Other cities in Snohomish County that still have active Flock cameras networks include Arlington, Lake Stevens, Marysville, Mill Creek, Monroe, Mukilteo and Sultan.
Jenna Peterson: 425-339-3486; jenna.peterson@heraldnet.com; X: @jennarpetersonn.
