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In response to an increase in community concerns about data collection, access and privacy protections, the City of Olympia is immediately suspending the Flock Safety Camera Pilot Program.
Interim Police Chief Shelby Parker made the recommendation to City Manager Jay Burney at a City Council Study Session on Tuesday evening, stating that while not a simple conclusion to reach or easy recommendation to make, for the Olympia Police Department, "our community's trust is too important to risk."
On Wednesday, the City of Olympia Public Works Department installed hoods over all 15 Flock cameras until which time they can be physically removed. Within the next 24 hours, the cameras will be deactivated by Flock.
Interim Chief Parker emphasized that this decision is in keeping with the City's commitment to the Reimagining Public Safety vision as developed through a community process in 2022, saying the Police Department's "responsibility is to support a public safety system that fosters trust and works for everyone. This includes stepping back when necessary to evaluate emerging risks, listening to community concerns, and making decisions grounded in transparency and equity."
City Councilmembers acknowledged officers' effective use of the tool in solving crimes and expressed gratitude to Interim Chief Parker for recommending a suspension of the program to evaluate possible broader system vulnerabilities and give time to monitor developments at the federal and state level.
City Manager Jay Burney accepted the recommendation, saying "I fully trust that our [Olympia Police Department] leadership and staff work very hard every single day to uphold the values in Reimagining Public Safety and ensure that we are not in any way in violation of our policies as a sanctuary city. However, not everyone in our community right now feels safe. We will work to suspend the system and remove the cameras until such a time that we have more confidence in what's happening at the federal level, have more community dialogue around surveillance in our community, and get to a place in which everyone in our community can feel safe around the tools that we utilize."
When the Flock system launched in August 2024 with a Department of Commerce grant, it was intended to be a two-year pilot program to respond to increases in crimes involving stolen vehicles, organized retail theft, and armed robberies. The technology operates by recognizing license plates and capturing objective information about vehicles.
When asked by Mayor Payne how the Department will proceed without the use of Flock cameras, Interim Chief Parker replied that officers will continue to conduct strong investigative work through regional partnerships, visible patrols, and close coordination with victims and businesses. "It's true this tool has helped us move faster, but it never replaced our skill and our commitment. We'll adapt, we'll remain transparent, and we'll ensure our community continues to receive the level of safety it deserves."
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