Why did Everett turn its Flock license plate cameras back on? On April 22, 2026, the City of Everett confirmed it had reactivated its network of 68 Flock Safety automated license plate reader (ALPR) cameras after Governor Bob Ferguson signed Senate Bill 6002 on March 30, 2026. The new state law — the Driver Privacy Act — exempts ALPR footage from the Public Records Act, which had led a Snohomish County judge to rule in February that Everett’s footage was public record and forced the city to pause the network. Most of Everett’s cameras came back online April 7, though a Superior Court hearing on May 14 will test whether the earlier ruling stands.
What just happened with Everett’s Flock camera network
On Tuesday, April 22, 2026, the City of Everett confirmed that its network of automated license plate reader cameras operated by Flock Safety has been reactivated. The cameras had been paused since February after a Snohomish County Superior Court judge ruled that Everett’s ALPR footage qualified as a public record under the state Public Records Act.
According to city officials, Mayor Cassie Franklin directed the Everett Police Department to restart the cameras in early April. Most of the network was back online by April 7, 2026, according to the city. The city filed a motion in Snohomish County Superior Court on April 3 asking the judge to vacate the February ruling in light of a new state law signed just days earlier.
The state law that changed the picture
On March 30, 2026, Governor Bob Ferguson signed Senate Bill 6002, known as the Driver Privacy Act. The law explicitly exempts ALPR footage from Washington’s Public Records Act. That single change reshaped the legal footing for every Washington city operating — or considering — a Flock network.
SB 6002 also includes new guardrails that apply to every ALPR network in the state. According to the final bill text:
- Agencies can retain ALPR data for no more than 21 days.
- ALPR use is limited to specific categories of investigation.
- Sharing data with federal agencies is prohibited.
- ALPR collection is restricted near schools and health care facilities.
The law’s stated purpose is to balance law enforcement access to license plate data with driver privacy — especially for people who might be targeted if their movements became discoverable through a public records request. The ACLU of Washington has objected to the law’s 21-day retention period, calling the provision unacceptable; the organization says the original version of the legislation contemplated a 72-hour retention window.
What Everett Police say the cameras have done
Everett launched its Flock network in October 2024 under a two-year, $550,000 grant-funded contract signed in June 2024. The city operates 68 ALPR cameras across Everett.
According to Everett Police, in the months between the October 2024 launch and the February 2026 pause the cameras were used in more than 250 arrests, along with stolen vehicle recoveries and missing-person locates. The city points to those numbers as the case for bringing the cameras back.
City spokesperson Simone Tarver addressed the restart directly. “This new state law ensures that we can protect the privacy of residents — including victims of domestic violence, harassment, and stalking — from anyone who may have had the intention of misusing this information,” Tarver said. She added that “the strategic and responsible use of technology remains a priority for the City.”
How Everett got here: a 6-month timeline
The Everett Flock story has moved quickly through the courts and the Legislature. Here is the sequence of events, drawn from court filings, city statements, and state records:
- October 2024: Everett launches 68-camera Flock network.
- February 2026: A Snohomish County Superior Court judge rules that ALPR footage is public record. Everett pauses its network.
- March 5, 2026: Everett files an appeal of the public records ruling.
- March 30, 2026: Governor Ferguson signs SB 6002 (the Driver Privacy Act).
- Early April 2026: Mayor Franklin directs EPD to reactivate cameras.
- April 3, 2026: Everett files a motion in Superior Court to vacate the February ruling.
- April 7, 2026: Most of Everett’s cameras are back online.
- April 22, 2026: The city publicly confirms the reactivation.
- May 14, 2026: Hearing scheduled on Everett’s motion to vacate.
The May 14 hearing is the next legal checkpoint. If the court grants the motion to vacate, the February public-records ruling goes away. If it does not, Everett and Flock opponents will continue to argue in court about what, exactly, SB 6002 does to a case that was filed before the law existed.
The federal data-sharing question
One detail from the Flock rollout has drawn separate scrutiny. Public records reviewed by reporters showed that from April to June 2025, federal agencies — including U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Homeland Security Investigations — queried Everett’s Flock network. The access was possible because Everett, like many departments on the platform, had Flock’s “nationwide lookup” feature enabled until July 2025.
EPD spokesperson Natalie Given described the feature. “While national look up feature was enabled, outside agencies would have had the ability to query all networks with the feature enabled en masse, including Everett’s,” Given said.
Former Everett Police Chief John DeRousse confirmed that Flock’s user agreements restrict use to legitimate law enforcement purposes and prohibit civil immigration enforcement and First Amendment-protected activity. Under SB 6002, sharing ALPR data with federal agencies is now legally prohibited — a shift that formalizes what department policies had already required in many cases.
Where other Washington cities stand
Everett is not the only Washington city working through the Flock question. Each city has landed in a different place:
- Mountlake Terrace canceled its Flock contract in December 2025 before the cameras were even installed, citing community division and public-records concerns.
- Lynnwood terminated its Flock contract in February 2026, roughly seven months after installation, after resident pushback.
- Stanwood is appealing a similar public-records ruling and reactivated its network on April 1, 2026.
- Everett reactivated and is pursuing its motion to vacate, with the May 14 hearing as the next step.
Those four trajectories — cancel, terminate, reactivate-and-appeal, reactivate-and-move — capture the range of policy responses a Washington city can take in the post-SB 6002 environment.
What this means for Everett residents
For most residents, the practical changes under SB 6002 are easy to summarize. ALPR data from Everett’s cameras can now be held for no longer than 21 days before deletion. Federal agencies cannot receive Everett’s data. ALPR collection locations near schools and health care facilities are restricted. Public-records requests for raw footage will be refused under the new exemption.
What the cameras still do: read license plates as vehicles pass, flag plates against hot lists (stolen vehicles, Amber Alerts, felony warrants), and log timestamps and locations that Everett Police can query during an investigation. That operational picture has not changed. The governance around it has.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Everett’s Flock cameras back on?
Yes. The City of Everett confirmed on April 22, 2026 that the cameras have been reactivated. Most of the 68-camera network was back online by April 7, 2026, after Mayor Cassie Franklin directed the Everett Police Department to restart the network in early April.
What is SB 6002 and why does it matter?
Senate Bill 6002, also known as the Driver Privacy Act, was signed by Governor Bob Ferguson on March 30, 2026. It exempts ALPR footage from Washington’s Public Records Act, sets a 21-day retention limit, prohibits sharing data with federal agencies, and restricts ALPR collection near schools and health care facilities.
Why were Everett’s cameras shut off in February?
A Snohomish County Superior Court judge ruled in February 2026 that Everett’s ALPR footage was a public record under the state Public Records Act. The city paused the network in response to the ruling while it evaluated its legal options.
How many Flock cameras does Everett operate?
Everett operates 68 Flock ALPR cameras across the city under a two-year, $550,000 grant-funded contract that was signed in June 2024.
Can federal immigration agencies access Everett’s ALPR data?
Under SB 6002, data sharing with federal agencies is now prohibited. Records show that federal agencies queried Everett’s network between April and June 2025 using Flock’s “nationwide lookup” feature, which Everett kept enabled until July 2025. That access is no longer permitted under state law.
What happens at the May 14 court hearing?
Snohomish County Superior Court is scheduled to hear Everett’s motion to vacate the February 2026 public-records ruling in light of SB 6002. If the motion is granted, the February ruling goes away. If not, litigation continues.
How long can Everett Police keep ALPR data under the new law?
SB 6002 caps retention of ALPR data at 21 days. The ACLU of Washington has said this window is too long and that the original version of the legislation called for 72 hours.
Have any Washington cities walked away from Flock?
Yes. Mountlake Terrace canceled its contract in December 2025 before installation. Lynnwood terminated its contract in February 2026. Stanwood and Everett have both reactivated their networks under SB 6002 but are still working through prior legal challenges.
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