08/18/2026
π‘ SEATTLE FLOCK CAMERA SERIES β PART 2 β The UW Study That Started It All: Federal Agents Had "Back Door" Access to Washington's Cameras β and 86 People Were Seized.
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FACT CHECK β VERIFIED BEFORE POST
In Part 1, we covered the rallies against surveillance cameras across our region. Now we go to the study that lit the fuse β and the numbers behind why cities are pulling back.
It started in October 2025, when a University of Washington report revealed something alarming: the Flock cameras scanning Washington drivers had "back doors" that federal agents could access.
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According to UW researchers, at least eight Washington law enforcement agencies had enabled direct, one-to-one sharing of their camera networks with U.S. Border Patrol during 2025 β opening what researchers called a "front door" for searches potentially tied to civil immigration enforcement.
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And this wasn't hypothetical. A July 2026 UW study found that federal agents used state license plate data to aid immigration arrests β seizing 86 people statewide between August 2025 and August 2026.
king5.com
π΅ RENTON TAKES A STAND
The backlash hit hardest in Renton. Here's the timeline:
βͺοΈ May 4 β the City Council paused all ALPR camera use
βͺοΈ The cameras had been reactivated in April without notice β not even to the City Council β which officials said eroded public trust
βͺοΈ Aug. 3 β the Council voted 6-1 to physically COVER all 24 Flock cameras
Renton City Council votes to cover Flock cameras | Seattle Weekly +2
Councilmember Kim-KhΓ‘nh VΔn, who proposed covering them, put it bluntly: "It's a real fear, for our community getting disappeared."
Yahoo!
π΅ A SPLIT ON THE COUNCIL
Not everyone agreed covering them was the answer. Councilmember James Alberson voted no, arguing that since the cameras were already off, covering them was mostly symbolic: "Covering the cameras is not an exhibition of trust. It's an action saying, hey, the cameras are off. Maybe they're not off. We're just covering it up?"
Seattle Weekly
π΅ WHERE IT STANDS NOW
On Aug. 10, the Council voted against NOT renewing the Flock contract, and narrowly voted against turning the cameras back on β deciding to wait for a public presentation on the technology first. A town hall on Flock cameras is being organized.
Seattle Weekly
Renton became one of only a handful of U.S. jurisdictions β and the first in the western U.S. β to physically cover its cameras.
Yahoo!
π΅ THE OTHER SIDE
Supporters maintain the cameras solve real crimes. The report presented to the city noted the cameras gather information about vehicles rather than people, don't use facial recognition, and can alert police to a vehicle tied to a missing person, murder suspect, or stolen vehicle.
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So here's the question at the heart of this series: when a tool meant to catch criminals can also be quietly accessed by federal agents to seize 86 people β where does public safety end and mass surveillance begin?
What do you think β did Renton do the right thing? π
π See where the cameras are mapped: maps.deflock.org
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