Stolen-vehicle reports in Everett dropped 67.81% in 2026 compared with the previous three-year average, according to the city's published Flock Safety camera data.

The decline comes as at least eight other Washington cities have shut down or abandoned the same technology.

The Everett Police Department's 71 license plate readers and three pan-tilt-zoom cameras logged roughly 100 stolen vehicles and 68 recoveries through July, the Everett Post reported Monday, Sept. 7, citing a Center Square investigation.

That makes Everett one of the few agencies in the state publishing recurring outcome reports with crime metrics.

On Aug. 22, Everett police said the cameras helped lead to the arrest of a man accused of attempting to lure minors at Walter E. Hall Park, My Everett News reported.

Officers had responded to the park on Aug. 5 after reports of an older male in a minivan following a group of girls.

The numbers come after a turbulent stretch for the program. Mayor Cassie Franklin temporarily shut down Everett's entire camera network on Feb. 25 after a Snohomish County Superior Court judge ruled the footage was a public record.

Franklin called the shutdown "really disappointing due to how important this tool has been from solving homicides to locating missing people," according to My Everett News.

The cameras came back online after Gov. Bob Ferguson signed the Driver Privacy Act, Senate Bill 6002, on March 30.

That law limits automated license plate reader (ALPR) data retention to 21 days and bans their use for civil immigration enforcement.

It also prohibits data collection near schools, places of worship and reproductive health clinics, and exempts ALPR footage from most public records requests.

That exemption removed the legal trigger that forced Everett's shutdown.

Everett's official Flock Safety page states the cameras will not be used for traffic infractions, immigration enforcement or monitoring First Amendment-protected activity.

The page lists a 30-day automatic data deletion window, which exceeds the new state law's 21-day limit. It is unclear whether the city has updated its retention policy to comply.

Eight cities walk away

Olympia, Auburn, Shoreline, Redmond, Mountlake Terrace, Lynnwood, Edmonds and Snohomish have either turned off cameras, ended contracts or cut ties with Flock Safety, the Everett Post report found. Anti-surveillance campaigns, including the DeFlock Snohomish County effort, have pressured council members statewide. Vandals have damaged cameras in Covington, Yakima and Ellensburg.

The financial fallout is significant. Washington jurisdictions have spent at least $2 million on Flock technology, a figure the Center Square described as conservative. Grant agreements from the Washington Auto Theft Prevention Authority (WATPA) can require repayment if a city cancels early. Lynnwood and Mountlake Terrace have both faced that situation.

Everett funded its two-year contract through $250,000 grants from WATPA and the Department of Justice's Project Safe Neighborhood program.

Public-records settlements top $300K statewide

Washington cities and counties have paid more than $300,000 in public-records settlements tied to Flock camera images. In June, Everett approved a $25,000 settlement in a records case brought by Oregon resident Jose Rodriguez, The Daily Herald reported. The city had appealed a Snohomish County Superior Court ruling before reaching the deal.

What's next

The Driver Privacy Act requires agencies using ALPRs to report to the Washington Attorney General's Office starting in December 2027. Agencies must also adopt local ALPR policies by Dec. 1, 2027, according to an MRSC analysis of the law.

Flock Safety, the Atlanta-based company behind the cameras, cut default data retention to seven days for new clients in August and hired security firm Bishop Fox to audit the platform. Results are expected in September 2026.

Everett publishes its monthly Flock reports on the city website, with archives dating to October 2024. The most recent posted report covers April 2026.