RENTON, Wash. — The city of Renton is moving to physically cover all 24 of its Flock automatic license plate recognition cameras, months after the City Council voted to pause their use.
The council voted 6-1 on Aug. 3 to cover the cameras, with supporters saying the move could help rebuild public trust. The cameras have been turned off since May, when the council voted to pause recordings.
KIRO 7 crews spotted the cameras at various intersections throughout Renton, including near The Landing and near Renton Municipal Airport. Critics of the cameras being covered and paused say they can be a critical tool for police investigations.
Councilmember Kim-Khánh Văn said the decision to cover the cameras responds to concerns she has heard from community members.
“It’s real fear from our community and our community getting disappeared,” Văn said. “I think it’s important for us to do that, as I’ve heard from community members, it’s important for us to build that trust.”
Councilmember Carmen Rivera took a similar stance, saying covering the cameras is a simple precaution that could reassure residents.
“I think it’s an easy, simple fix that tells the residents, one, we’re listening, and we’re trying to foster that trust and transparency,” Rivera said.
But not all council members agreed that physically covering the cameras was necessary. Council member James Alberson said covering the cameras would not change what has already been done.
“We talk about transparency and trust; either constituents are going to have trust or not,” Alberson said. “Covering the cameras is not an exhibition of trust. It’s an action saying, hey, listen, the cameras are off. Maybe they’re not off. We’re just covering it up?”
Scrutiny over Flock cameras started last October, when a University of Washington report about the cameras said they had backdoors federal agents could access. Records obtained by UWCHR researchers via public records requests reveal that at least eight Washington state law enforcement agencies enabled direct, 1:1 sharing of their networks with U.S. Border Patrol at some point during 2025, opening what they called the ‘front door’ for searches potentially related to civil immigration enforcement activities.
A report in the city agenda says Flock cameras can be used to help solve crimes and generate investigative leads. The cameras gather information about vehicles, rather than people, and can alert police when a vehicle is associated with a missing person, murder suspect or stolen vehicle.
According to the report, the cameras do not use facial recognition, search for personal characteristics such as race or gender, or collect information such as names and addresses.
City data shows the automatic license plate recognition, or ALPR, cameras captured more than 5.2 million images over a 15-day period before the cameras were paused. The city says that camera data is deleted after 21 days.
Council President Pro Tem Ryan McIrvin said his concerns extend beyond whether the cameras are currently operating.
“For me, it’s not about trust for the city,” McIrvin said. “I think there’s a larger trust issue with the operator of the software. I believe they’re off, but I can’t say I 100% know that.”
Renton joins other cities that have physically covered their Flock cameras, including Dayton, Ohio, where black bags were used.
The city has not yet said how it will cover Renton’s cameras.
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