A year of debate over Renton's two dozen Flock Safety cameras ended Monday, when police officials let the city's contract with the surveillance technology company expire.
Renton's city attorney told the City Council on Oct. 21 that the Police Department had notified Flock Safety the 2-year contract with the company, which started Nov. 2, 2024, would not be renewed.
Councilmember Ed Prince confirmed during an Oct. 26 meeting that the license plate readers — which the city turned off in May and covered in August — would be taken down.
The decision does not affect license plate readers made by Axon and Genetec that are installed in Renton's patrol cars and parking enforcement vehicles. Police officials in July said they would not consider turning on the devices — which were also powered off in May — until the agency could guarantee the cameras could be used without violating a state law passed this year.
The Oct. 26 announcement was a quiet end to months of contentious council meetings, as residents gave heated testimony about the perceived benefits and risks of the devices.
Renton's Flock Safety program first came under fire a year ago, when a report by University of Washington's Center for Human Rights showed that federal immigration authorities had searched the city's data. The report identified 17 other public agencies in Washington that had been similarly accessed.
After reading the report, Renton police said they had not given U.S. Border Patrol permission to access their Flock Safety database, and weren't aware the agency had searched their data until being notified by UW researchers. The department said it then blocked external agencies from viewing its data.
Cities and law enforcement agencies across the state started pausing their Flock Safety programs in response to swelling concerns about privacy, safety and potential use of footage for federal immigration enforcement.
In March, Gov. Bob Ferguson signed into law Washington state's first regulations of automated license plate readers. The legislation bars the federal government and agencies outside of Washington from accessing data generated by the cameras that are owned by public agencies in the state.
Five weeks later, the Renton City Council voted to temporarily turn off all of their license plate readers while they sought more information about the technology. Councilmember Kim-Khánh Văn said during a May 4 meeting that she was concerned the benefits of the devices did not outweigh the real fear" and risks they posed to immigrants, refugees and people of color.
The Renton Police Department gave a community orientation on Aug. 27 about their Flock Safety cameras, which officials said cost the city about $80,000 per year. The devices were installed at major intersections throughout the city, and unlike Renton's school zone and red light cameras, they did not generate revenue for the city, officials said.
On Oct. 26, Councilmember Carmen Rivera urged the city to issue a public announcement about the end of the city's Flock Safety contract, especially because so many residents for months had testified about the "bipartisan issue.
The city published a news release Monday on its website announcing that the Flock Safety contract would not be renewed.
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