Category: Exploring Everett

What is the Everett EMS levy measure on the August 4, 2026 ballot? It is a property tax levy lid lift. If approved, the city’s emergency medical services levy rate would rise from $0.36 per $1,000 of assessed value back to $0.50 per $1,000 — the rate Everett voters originally approved in 2000. The typical Everett homeowner would pay approximately $80 more per year. The levy funds roughly 78 firefighter-paramedic positions inside the Everett Fire Department, which handles thousands of 911 medical calls annually. A simple majority is required to pass.

The short version of the August 4 ballot measure

On April 22, 2026, the Everett City Council voted to send a property tax levy lid lift for emergency medical services to the August 4, 2026 primary ballot. The measure would restore Everett’s EMS levy rate from $0.36 per $1,000 of assessed value back to the $0.50 per $1,000 cap that Everett voters originally authorized in 2000. That is the entire measure, in one sentence.

This guide breaks the measure down in plain English: what a “levy lid lift” actually is, what your household would pay, what the money funds, why it is on the ballot yet again, and what happens if it passes or fails.

The $0.36-versus-$0.50 math in plain English

Washington property tax rates are expressed in dollars per $1,000 of assessed value. Everett’s current EMS levy rate is $0.36 per $1,000. The measure would restore it to $0.50 per $1,000.

For a home assessed at $500,000, the math is straightforward:

• Current rate ($0.36 per $1,000): 500 × $0.36 = $180 per year in EMS levy
• Proposed rate ($0.50 per $1,000): 500 × $0.50 = $250 per year in EMS levy
• Difference: $70 per year, or about $5.83 per month

The city estimates the average Everett homeowner would pay approximately $80 more per year. The exact dollar figure depends on your assessed value, which you can find on your most recent Snohomish County property tax statement.

Renters do not pay property tax directly but may see the cost reflected in rents over time. Commercial property owners also pay the levy and may pass costs along to tenants.

What “levy lid lift” actually means

A levy lid lift is a ballot measure that asks voters for permission to raise a regular property tax levy back up to a previously authorized ceiling. It is not a new tax. It does not authorize a rate higher than what voters have already approved in a prior election.

The reason lid lifts exist is a 2001 state initiative, I-747, that capped year-over-year growth in regular property tax levies at 1% statewide, regardless of how fast property values or service costs rise. For a service like EMS — where labor, medical supplies, and call volume all outpace 1% inflation in most years — that ceiling gradually erodes the effective rate. A lid lift resets it.

What the 78 firefighter-paramedic positions actually do

The EMS levy funds roughly 78 firefighter-paramedic positions inside the Everett Fire Department, according to city documents presented to the City Council on April 22. These are the people who arrive when an Everett resident calls 911 for:

• A heart attack, stroke, or other medical emergency
• A car crash with injuries
• A fall or medical event at home
• An overdose or mental health crisis
• A workplace injury
• A fire with injured occupants

The Everett Fire Department responds to thousands of medical calls per year. Medical calls make up the overwhelming majority of total call volume for most urban fire departments nationally, and Everett fits that pattern. When people picture a fire department, they picture fire trucks going to fires. In reality, most of what the department does every shift is emergency medicine.

Why the levy is on the ballot again — the 2000/2010/2018/2026 pattern

Everett voters have approved EMS levy lid lifts multiple times over the past 25 years. Each time, voters have restored the rate back to the $0.50 cap originally authorized in 2000:

• 2000: Voters approved a permanent EMS levy at $0.50 per $1,000 of assessed value.
• 2010: Voters approved a lid lift restoring the rate to $0.50 after state law had allowed it to drift downward.
• 2018: Voters approved another lid lift restoring the rate to $0.50.
• 2026: The current measure, scheduled for the August 4 primary ballot.

The roughly eight-year rhythm of these votes is a direct consequence of the 1% cap — the rate drifts downward, costs rise faster than 1%, and at some point the math no longer works without a reset.

What Everett Fire Chief Dave DeMarco told the council

Everett Fire Chief Dave DeMarco addressed the City Council on April 22 in support of the measure. His framing is worth reading carefully because it is the clearest public statement of why the measure is on the ballot now.

“The fund has remained solvent throughout this period of extraordinary growth, also a global pandemic and increasing demands for service,” DeMarco told the council. “However, to remain stable and meet the growing emergency medical services needs of our community, the restoration of the levy is necessary.”

Two things to notice there. First: the EMS fund is not in crisis today. It is solvent. The case is about remaining stable going forward, not plugging an immediate hole. Second: call volume is higher than it was in 2018, when voters last restored the rate, and labor plus medical supply costs have risen in that time.

What happens if the measure passes

If the measure passes on August 4, the $0.50 per $1,000 rate would take effect in the 2027 property tax year. Homeowners would see the higher line item on their 2027 property tax statements. The Everett Fire Department would continue to fund the roughly 78 firefighter-paramedic positions and would have a more stable funding base to handle continued call-volume growth.

The passage of the lid lift does not, by itself, add new paramedic positions. It restores the funding that the existing staffing model depends on.

What happens if the measure fails

If the measure fails, the current $0.36 rate would remain in place. The city would face a funding gap inside the EMS fund, which would need to be closed one of three ways:

• Reduce EMS service levels. Fewer staffed units, longer response times, reduced coverage, or consolidation of stations. This is the option city officials most often warn about in lid lift campaigns and the one voters typically react to most strongly.
• Shift costs to Everett’s general fund. The general fund is already projecting a $14 million gap in 2027, according to Mayor Cassie Franklin’s 2026 State of the City address. Shifting EMS costs into that fund would deepen the existing gap and force cuts to other city services — parks, libraries, streets, and planning.
• Return to the ballot. The city could ask voters again, possibly with a revised measure, at a later election.

How the EMS levy fits into Everett’s 2027 budget picture

The EMS levy is a separate, voter-approved fund. It does not directly close Everett’s projected $14 million 2027 general fund gap. But the two pictures are connected.

If the EMS levy fails, rising medical-response costs could eventually spill over into the general fund, compounding the existing gap. This is why the same 2026 budget conversation that surfaced the EMS levy also surfaced regional fire authority discussions and a potential library regionalization — all of those are structural options for handling the same underlying pressure.

The EMS levy is the first of Everett’s 2026-era budget levers to actually reach a ballot. It is not the last.

Who can vote on this measure

Registered voters who live inside the City of Everett are eligible to vote on this measure. Voters outside Everett city limits — even elsewhere in Snohomish County — do not vote on this measure. If you are not sure whether your address is inside city limits, the Snohomish County Auditor’s office can confirm.

Ballots typically mail to registered voters roughly three weeks before election day. A simple majority (50% plus one) is required for the lid lift to pass.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is the Everett EMS levy on the ballot?

August 4, 2026 primary ballot. Ballots typically mail to registered voters about three weeks before election day.

How much will the EMS levy cost me if it passes?

The city estimates an average Everett homeowner would pay approximately $80 more per year. The exact amount depends on your home’s assessed value, because the rate is charged per $1,000 of assessed value. A home assessed at $500,000 would pay about $70 more per year.

Is this a new tax?

No. Everett voters originally authorized the $0.50 per $1,000 rate in 2000. The 2026 measure is a levy lid lift that restores the rate back to that previously authorized cap. It does not create a new tax and does not authorize a rate higher than $0.50.

What does the EMS levy pay for?

Emergency medical services provided by the Everett Fire Department — ambulance, paramedic, and medical first-response calls. The levy currently funds approximately 78 firefighter-paramedic positions.

Why is this the third time Everett has voted on the $0.50 rate?

Washington state law caps regular property tax levy growth at 1% per year, even when costs and property values rise faster. That cap, set by Initiative 747 in 2001, pushes the effective rate below the voter-approved ceiling over time. A lid lift is required to reset it. Everett voters previously approved lid lifts in 2010 and 2018.

What happens if the EMS levy fails?

The current $0.36 rate remains in place. The city would face a funding gap inside the EMS fund, which would need to be closed by reducing service levels, shifting costs to the general fund, or returning to the ballot with a revised measure.

Does this affect Everett’s $14 million 2027 general fund gap?

Not directly. The EMS levy is a separate, voter-approved fund. But if it fails, rising medical-response costs could eventually spill over into the general fund and deepen the existing gap.

Who is eligible to vote?

Registered voters who live inside the City of Everett. Voters outside city limits do not vote on this measure. A simple majority is required to pass.

When would the new rate take effect if it passes?

The 2027 property tax year. Homeowners would see the higher line item on their 2027 property tax statements.

As an Everett business owner, do SB 6002 and the city’s reactivated Flock network change anything for your own security cameras or parking lot ALPR system? Yes. The Driver Privacy Act regulates ALPR use across private entities too — not just the city’s 68-camera Flock network. If your business operates any camera that reads license plates (parking lots, self-storage facilities, auto dealerships, apartment complexes), SB 6002 imposes a 21-day data retention cap, requires law enforcement to obtain a warrant before getting your data, prohibits you from selling or trading that data, and blocks you from positioning cameras where they’d capture traffic at sensitive locations. That’s a material compliance lift that many private-lot operators haven’t absorbed yet.

The Private-Entity Provisions You Probably Missed

Most SB 6002 media coverage has focused on the public-sector story — cities reactivating Flock networks, the Public Records Act exemption, the Everett May 14 hearing. The law’s private-entity provisions got less attention but hit a lot more Everett businesses.

If your business operates any camera that captures license plates as a routine function, SB 6002 applies. That includes:

• Paid-parking operators using plate-based entry/exit (Ace, SP+, and similar vendors serve downtown Everett).
• Apartment complexes and condominium associations using Flock or equivalent ALPR systems for gated access, visitor management, or package theft investigation.
• Self-storage facilities using plate readers at entry gates.
• Auto dealerships using plate capture on lot-exit cameras.
• Any private business with security camera systems whose software extracts plate data.

Your Four Compliance Buckets

1. 21-Day Retention Cap

Whatever plate-read data your business collects, you now have to delete within 21 days of capture — unless it’s tied to an active investigation or legitimate business need defined in statute. For apartment complexes retaining a year of plate logs “in case” of future incident, that retention window collapses. You’ll need a written retention policy and automatic deletion workflow.

2. Warrant Requirement for Law Enforcement Access

If the Everett Police Department — or any Washington law enforcement agency — asks you for plate data, SB 6002 now requires them to present a warrant. Voluntary cooperation no longer clears the legal threshold. For property managers and security contractors used to handing over footage on request, that’s a procedural shift. Your first question on any law-enforcement inquiry should be whether a warrant is attached.

3. Ban on Sale or Sharing of ALPR Data

SB 6002 prohibits buying and selling ALPR data. Any business relationship that involved monetizing plate data — sharing with debt collectors, insurance investigators, skip-tracers, marketing vendors — is no longer permissible. Review any third-party data-sharing contracts that touch license plate data and unwind the ones that don’t fit within the law’s permitted-use carveouts.

4. Sensitive-Location Placement Restrictions

Your cameras cannot be positioned to capture traffic at or around immigration-related facilities, reproductive healthcare facilities, schools, places of worship, courts, or food banks. If your business is near any of these locations — a parking lot adjacent to a school, a property near a church, a storage facility next to a food bank — you’ll need to audit camera angles and either reposition or disable plate-reading functionality for cameras pointed at the protected areas.

Why This Affects Everett Specifically

Everett’s downtown has a higher density of sensitive locations than many Snohomish County cities — multiple houses of worship clustered around Hewitt Avenue, the county courts at 3000 Rockefeller Avenue, the Volunteers of America food bank on Broadway, reproductive healthcare facilities serving a regional catchment, and a dense public school footprint across the city. For businesses operating parking lots, storage, or multifamily housing in those corridors, the camera-placement review under SB 6002 is substantial.

What You Should Do in the Next 30 Days

• Inventory your cameras. Confirm which of your cameras have plate-reading functionality (many modern security cameras do by default).
• Map camera locations against SB 6002’s sensitive-location list. Any camera with line-of-sight to a school, house of worship, reproductive healthcare site, immigration facility, court, or food bank needs attention.
• Set retention to 21 days. Automate deletion of plate data older than 21 days unless tied to a documented investigation.
• Review third-party data-sharing contracts. Unwind any contract that involves selling, trading, or commercially exploiting plate data.
• Update your law-enforcement response protocol. Warrant required before sharing plate data.
• Post signage. Consumer-facing signage that explicitly discloses ALPR use supports informed-consent defenses under Washington privacy tort law and is considered best practice under SB 6002’s transparency framework.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does SB 6002 apply to my business’s security cameras?

SB 6002 applies to any camera system that captures and processes license plate data. If your cameras are plate-reading (many modern systems are by default, even when that’s not the marketed feature), the law’s private-entity provisions apply.

How long can I keep plate data from my parking lot or apartment complex?

SB 6002 caps retention at 21 days unless data is tied to an active investigation or meets a specific statutory carveout. Routine retention beyond 21 days is no longer permissible.

If Everett Police ask me for plate data from my lot, do I have to give it to them?

Under SB 6002, law enforcement must obtain a warrant before receiving ALPR data from a private entity. You should not voluntarily provide plate data in response to an informal request; wait for the warrant.

What happens if my camera is angled toward a school or house of worship?

SB 6002 prohibits ALPR placement at or around sensitive locations including schools and places of worship. Cameras with line-of-sight to protected areas need to be repositioned, disabled, or have their plate-reading functionality turned off. Non-compliance carries legal consequences under the law’s enforceable accountability provisions.

Can I still sell plate data to insurance investigators or debt collectors?

No. SB 6002 bans the buying and selling of ALPR data outright.

Do I need to notify customers that I’m using ALPR cameras?

SB 6002 does not impose an explicit consumer-notification mandate on private operators, but it includes transparency requirements for operators and establishes enforceable accountability measures. Consumer-facing signage disclosing ALPR use is considered best practice and supports defenses under Washington privacy tort law.

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As an Everett resident, what do the reactivated Flock cameras actually do to your privacy? The short version: 68 ALPR cameras placed on arterial roads across Everett scan passing license plates and log the time and location of each scan. Before February 2026 there was no state-level rulebook limiting how long that data could be held, where cameras could be placed, or who could buy the data. Now there is. SB 6002 — the Driver Privacy Act, signed March 30, 2026 — caps data retention at 21 days, bans sale of ALPR data, requires warrants for law enforcement to get ALPR data from private companies, blocks camera placement near immigration, reproductive healthcare, schools, houses of worship, courts, and food banks, and exempts the footage from public records requests so anyone can’t file for your plate data. The tradeoff is that the cameras themselves are back on.

What the 68 Cameras Do When You Drive By

Flock Safety ALPR cameras work like this: they capture a photo of each passing vehicle, extract the license plate using computer vision, and log the plate, the time, and the camera’s location into a searchable database. That’s the basic loop. When a police department runs a plate lookup — during a stolen-vehicle investigation, a missing-persons search, or an active criminal investigation — they can query the Flock database and see everywhere that plate has been captured across the camera network.

For an ordinary driver living in Everett, that means that if your vehicle passes any of the 68 cameras on your regular commute — say, heading to work along Evergreen Way or moving through downtown on Hewitt Avenue — a log entry is created each time. Under SB 6002’s 21-day retention cap, those entries are deleted after three weeks unless tied to an active investigation.

What Changed About Your Privacy Under SB 6002

Before SB 6002, a Washington resident could file a public records request for ALPR footage — exactly what the February 2026 Snohomish County ruling said was required. That sounds like a privacy win, but it actually worked the opposite way: if your plate data is public record, anyone — a stalker, an abusive ex-partner, a private investigator with a grudge — could request it. SB 6002’s Public Records Act exemption closes that door.

What SB 6002 also does:

• 21-day retention cap. No more indefinite storage.
• Warrant requirement for private-entity data. Police can’t just call Flock and ask for a plate’s history without court oversight.
• No sale of ALPR data. The data can’t be monetized or traded.
• Sensitive-location ban. Cameras can’t be placed where they’d capture traffic at immigration facilities, reproductive healthcare sites, schools, places of worship, courts, or food banks.
• Audit and transparency requirements. Independent auditing with legal consequences for agency or vendor violations.

Where the Cameras Are and Aren’t

The city has not released a public, plot-by-plot map of its 68 Flock camera locations. What’s known: cameras are sited on arterial roads and high-volume intersections chosen for traffic throughput. Under SB 6002, Everett needs to review its camera placements against the statute’s sensitive-location list — so any cameras that were inadvertently capturing traffic at or around a school, house of worship, or reproductive healthcare facility would need to be repositioned or removed. The city has not publicly released a post-SB 6002 audit of the 68 camera locations.

What You Can and Can’t Find Out About Your Own Plate

Under SB 6002 and before the May 14 hearing clarifies the pre-law ruling’s status, this is roughly where Everett sits:

• Public records request for your own plate’s scan history: unlikely to be granted under SB 6002’s new exemption.
• Discovery in an active legal matter (e.g., you’re charged, or you’re a plaintiff in a civil suit): ALPR data remains obtainable through discovery, not public records.
• Flock’s own consumer-facing transparency portal: Flock Safety has been rolling out opt-in transparency portals in some jurisdictions. Everett’s status on that program has not been publicly announced.

The May 14 Hearing — What Residents Should Watch

The Superior Court hearing on May 14, 2026 addresses Everett’s April 3 motion to vacate the February ruling. Three outcomes matter to residents:

• Judge vacates the February ruling: ALPR data is fully protected going forward under SB 6002, and the dispute ends.
• Judge rules SB 6002 applies only prospectively: any ALPR data captured before March 30, 2026 could still be subject to disclosure under the older ruling — meaning a narrow window of pre-law scans could be publicly accessible. This is the most complicated outcome.
• Judge denies the motion: Everett would likely appeal while continuing to operate the cameras, or pause again while the legal question is escalated.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I find out if my license plate has been captured by Everett’s Flock cameras?

Under SB 6002, ALPR footage is exempt from the Public Records Act, so a standard public records request is unlikely to return your plate history. In active legal proceedings where ALPR data is relevant, it remains obtainable through formal discovery.

How long does Everett keep my license plate scan data?

SB 6002 caps ALPR retention at 21 days. After that, data must be deleted unless it’s tied to an active investigation.

Can Everett police share my plate scan history with federal immigration agencies?

SB 6002 imposes significant limits. The law prohibits camera placement at or near immigration-related facilities, bans the sale of ALPR data, and requires warrants for law enforcement to obtain ALPR data from private vendors. The statute is designed to limit downstream use of Washington ALPR data by federal agencies acting outside state privacy protections, though the precise enforcement mechanics will be tested in practice.

Where are the 68 Flock cameras in Everett?

The city has not released a public, plot-by-plot map of its camera locations. Cameras are sited on arterial roads and high-volume intersections across Everett. SB 6002 prohibits camera placement at or around immigration facilities, reproductive healthcare sites, schools, houses of worship, courts, and food banks — so any cameras found to be near those locations must be repositioned or removed.

What should I do if I think a Flock camera is placed illegally near a school or house of worship?

SB 6002 includes enforceable accountability measures with legal consequences for agency or vendor violations. The first step is typically to contact the Everett Police Department and the City Clerk’s office to file a complaint referencing SB 6002’s sensitive-location provisions. The ACLU of Washington has also indicated it intends to monitor compliance.

Does SB 6002 mean I can’t sue if my data is misused?

No — the Public Records Act exemption limits public disclosure but does not eliminate legal remedies for misuse. SB 6002 explicitly includes enforceable accountability measures, and private tort remedies for misuse of personal data remain available under general Washington privacy law.

Related Exploring Everett Coverage

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Why are Everett’s Flock license plate cameras back on? On April 22, 2026, the City of Everett confirmed it had reactivated its 68-camera Flock Safety automated license plate reader (ALPR) network after Governor Bob Ferguson signed Senate Bill 6002 — the Driver Privacy Act — on March 30, 2026. SB 6002 exempts ALPR footage from the state Public Records Act, reversing the practical effect of a February 2026 Snohomish County Superior Court ruling that had forced Everett to pause the entire network. Most cameras came back online April 7. A Superior Court hearing on May 14, 2026 will test whether the pre-law February ruling still stands, even though the underlying statute has changed.

The Short Version of a Long Story

Everett’s Flock camera saga has four chapters:

• Chapter 1 — Deployment. Everett Police Department deployed 68 Flock Safety ALPR cameras across the city over 2023–2024 as a stolen-vehicle, missing-person, and major-crime investigation tool. The cameras read license plates of passing vehicles, tag time and location, and retain data for a set period.
• Chapter 2 — The Public Records Lawsuit. In February 2026, a Snohomish County Superior Court judge ruled that Everett’s ALPR footage qualifies as a public record under Washington’s Public Records Act (RCW 42.56). Under that reading, anyone could file a public records request and obtain license-plate scan data — a result the city said was incompatible with operating the system, since disclosing plate data would let anyone track anyone else.
• Chapter 3 — The Pause. Everett turned off the Flock network in February 2026. Stanwood, Edmonds, Mountlake Terrace, and Redmond made similar decisions around the same time.
• Chapter 4 — SB 6002 and the Reactivation. Washington’s legislature passed Senate Bill 6002, the Driver Privacy Act, in the 2026 session. Gov. Ferguson signed it on March 30, 2026. Everett filed a motion April 3 asking the court to vacate the February ruling in light of the new law. The city restarted the cameras on April 7.

What SB 6002 — the Driver Privacy Act — Actually Does

SB 6002 is a Washington state law that simultaneously tightens privacy protections on ALPR use and exempts ALPR data from public records disclosure. It’s structured as a trade: law enforcement retains the investigative tool, but under new statewide guardrails.

Key provisions:

• 21-day retention cap. ALPR data must be deleted within 21 days unless tied to an active investigation.
• Warrant requirement for private-entity data. Law enforcement cannot obtain ALPR data from private entities without a warrant.
• Ban on sale of ALPR data. Buying and selling ALPR data is prohibited.
• Sensitive-location prohibition. ALPR cameras may not be positioned to capture data at or around immigration-related facilities, reproductive healthcare facilities, schools, places of worship, courts, and food banks.
• Public Records Act exemption. ALPR footage is now explicitly exempt from public disclosure under the Public Records Act — the provision that enabled Everett and similar cities to reactivate their networks.
• Audit and transparency requirements. Regular auditing and transparency reporting, with enforceable accountability measures carrying legal consequences for agency or vendor violations.

What Happens on May 14

The May 14, 2026 Superior Court hearing was originally scheduled to address the February ruling that forced the pause. The legal question now is whether that ruling survives SB 6002. Everett’s motion argues that the new Public Records Act exemption renders the February ruling moot. The opposing parties — including the plaintiff who originally sought the ALPR data as public record — can argue the February ruling applied to data captured before SB 6002’s effective date and should still require disclosure.

Three outcomes are possible:

• The judge vacates the February ruling — the clearest win for the city and ends the specific dispute.
• The judge rules SB 6002 applies prospectively, preserving the pre-law ruling on pre-law data but not on anything captured after March 30.
• The judge denies the motion — forcing the city either to continue operating under partial disclosure exposure or pause again while appealing.

How the 68 Cameras Are Deployed

Everett’s Flock network is sited on arterial roads and high-volume intersections across the city, with typical camera placements chosen for traffic throughput rather than neighborhood surveillance. Police department public materials have described the system’s primary use cases as stolen vehicle recovery, Amber and Silver Alert searches, missing-persons cases, and major-crime investigation. Flock’s own white papers emphasize plate-reading speed and hotlist matching against state and federal databases.

Under SB 6002, camera placements near sensitive locations (immigration facilities, reproductive healthcare, schools, houses of worship, courts, food banks) have to be reviewed. Everett has not publicly released a camera-by-camera audit of its 68-camera network against the new statute’s sensitive-location list, though the law’s compliance window allows time for that review.

Why This Everett Story Matters Statewide

Everett is one of the largest Washington cities that had its ALPR system forced offline by the February Public Records ruling. Its reactivation playbook — file a motion to vacate, cite SB 6002, restart the cameras while awaiting a hearing — is the template other paused Washington cities are likely to follow. Stanwood has publicly announced reactivation. Edmonds, Mountlake Terrace, and Redmond are each making their own decisions about whether and when to turn systems back on. The May 14 Everett hearing is effectively a test case for every Washington city still waiting on a ruling.

Frequently Asked Questions

When did Everett turn its Flock cameras off and when did they come back on?

Everett paused its 68-camera Flock ALPR network in February 2026 after a Snohomish County Superior Court judge ruled the footage qualified as a public record. Most cameras came back online April 7, 2026, after Gov. Bob Ferguson signed SB 6002 on March 30.

What is SB 6002, the Driver Privacy Act?

SB 6002 is a 2026 Washington state law that regulates automated license plate reader use, requires a 21-day data retention cap, prohibits sale of ALPR data, bans camera placement at sensitive locations including immigration facilities and reproductive healthcare, and exempts ALPR footage from the state Public Records Act.

How many Flock cameras does Everett have?

Everett’s Flock Safety network is made up of 68 ALPR cameras positioned on arterial roads and high-volume intersections across the city.

What does the May 14 Superior Court hearing decide?

The May 14, 2026 hearing addresses Everett’s April 3 motion to vacate the February Superior Court ruling that had forced the ALPR network offline. The court will decide whether SB 6002’s Public Records Act exemption nullifies that earlier ruling, or whether pre-law data remains subject to disclosure.

Can I still file a public records request for Flock camera footage in Everett?

Under SB 6002, ALPR footage is now exempt from the Washington Public Records Act. Public records requests for Flock camera data are unlikely to be granted. The May 14 hearing will clarify whether any data captured before March 30, 2026 remains subject to the older ruling.

How long does Everett keep Flock camera data?

SB 6002 requires ALPR data to be deleted within 21 days of capture unless the data is tied to an active investigation. Everett’s retention policy must comply with that statewide 21-day cap.

What sensitive locations are protected from Flock camera placement under SB 6002?

SB 6002 prohibits ALPR camera placements that capture data at or around facilities related to immigration matters, reproductive healthcare, schools, places of worship, courts, and food banks.

Are other Washington cities reactivating their Flock cameras too?

Yes. Stanwood has publicly announced reactivation. Edmonds, Mountlake Terrace, and Redmond — each of which had shut down ALPR systems during 2025 or early 2026 — are each making their own reactivation decisions. Everett’s May 14 hearing is the closest-watched test case.

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