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.
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