Lynnwood terminates Flock Safety cameras due to trust and oversight issues

LYNNWOOD—The Lynnwood City Council voted unanimously on Monday, February 22, to terminate its contract with Flock Safety, scrapping a controversial network of automated license plate recognition cameras that had drawn months of fierce community backlash over privacy invasions and potential misuse for immigration enforcement. The Council’s decision was a swift reversal for a program once […]
Chelsea Wright appointed to Lynnwood City Council, new Poplar Extension Bridge contract awarded

LYNNWOOD—Chelsea Wright was unanimously appointed to the Lynnwood City Council Position 6 seat on Monday and will take the Oath of Office on February 2. The Position 6 seat was vacated in December 2025 following the election of Goerge Hurst as mayor. “I’m excited to show the City of Lynnwood what I am about so […]
10 Lynnwood City Council hopefuls tackle council member questions

LYNNWOOD—Ten candidates vied to fill the Lynnwood City Council Position 6 vacancy, on Tuesday, January 20, bringing an array of professional backgrounds, personal stories, and visions for the City’s future. The interviewees—Jacob Berger, Han McDonald, Paula Ferreira-Smith, Quinn Van Order, Chelsea Wright, Noel Baca, Richard Wright, Cathy Baylor, Dorina Katro, and Brandon Molina—each delivered opening […]
Meet the New Hopefuls Vying for Lynnwood City Council Position 6 After Ranking Mistake

LYNNWOOD—A ranking error glitch resulted in the Lynnwood City Council Leadership Team adding three new candidates in addition to the selected eight finalists to interview to fill the Position 6 council vacancy the City’s released in a statement on January 15. The Lynnwood City Council will now be interviewing 11 candidates on Tuesday, January 20. Position 6 […]
Lynnwood Council Leadership adds three new candidates to interview for open seat after ‘input error’

LYNNWOOD—The Lynnwood City Council Leadership Team added three additional candidates to interview to fill the Position 6 council vacancy due to “an input error,” the City’s released in a statement on January 15. The Lynnwood City Council will now be interviewing 11 candidates on January 20. At its January 12 Business Meeting, the Lynnwood City […]
The Technical and Ethical Failure of Mass Surveillance in Lynnwood

As someone who takes privacy and the 4th Amendment seriously, I have grave misgivings about the surveillance contract Lynnwood has with Flock. In what LPD claims was a misconfiguration, they exposed this surveillance database to outside agencies, which used it for immigration-related searches. This is contrary to explicit promises made to the Lynnwood City Council. As […]
Lynnwood’s Flock Cameras Under Fire: Boosting Public Safety or Eroding Privacy in the Fight Against Crime?

LYNNWOOD—The Lynnwood Police Department on Friday, October 24, issued a statement to clarify and “address potential misconceptions” of its use of Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) technology in response to a recent report by the University of Washington Center for Human Rights. The report titled, “Leaving the Door Wide Open: Flock Surveillance Systems and Immigration Enforcement in Washington State,” […]