Turning off traffic cameras protects privacy

Published 1:30 am Monday, December 1, 2025

The use of traffic cameras by law enforcement raises important questions about personal privacy vs. public safety, state’s rights vs. federal intrusion, and the nation’s incremental movement toward a police state. Until these issues are robustly debated, local jurisdictions are wise to pause the use of the cameras.

A report from the University of Washington recently unveiled that federal immigration officials have accessed data from a system of cameras used by some local law enforcement agencies. The cameras — called Flock Safety — identify registered vehicle owners from license plate numbers.

In some cases, apparently, federal use of the information has come without the local agencies’ knowledge or without a full understanding of how the information is being collected and used. That is disconcerting.

In addition, the sharing and analysis of information appears to be in violation of Washington state law. A 2019 law prohibits local law enforcement agencies from providing information to federal authorities that is not publicly available.

The issue gained public attention this month when the Skagit County Superior Court ruled that images collected by Flock Safety cameras are public records and must be released upon request. “Flock camera images are created and used to further a governmental purpose,” Judge Elizabeth Yost Neidzwski wrote.

That raises the possibility of municipal governments being overrun with public records requests. Because of that, in part, many jurisdictions have turned off their cameras. The Skamania County Sheriff’s Office wrote in a social media post on Nov. 12 that all six cameras in the county have been disabled over concerns about public privacy.

Skamania County Undersheriff Tracy Wyckoff told The Columbian, “The public is concerned about their privacy. And now that the system is open to the public, it’s also a concern for us.”

Photos taken by law enforcement for the purpose of identifying motorists should, indeed, be public record. Imagine if police were recording images in order to identify vehicles that had a headlight out, or were driving too close to the car in front of them, or made an illegal lane change. Or imagine if another presidential administration wanted to identify vehicles that have gun racks in order to track down owners and ensure that their weapons are legal?

The extent of police surveillance is an issue that touches upon basic personal freedoms. And when the information is being shared with federal officials — presumably for the purpose of immigration enforcement — the issue comes under additional scrutiny.

The University of Washington report claims that the technology can identify a vehicle’s registered owner with a full or partial license plate number, and that a network of cameras can be used to track a vehicle’s location — even from one community to another. Between May and August, the study says, U.S. Customs and Border Protection gained “back door” access to license plate data from law enforcement throughout Washington without the agencies’ knowledge.

That also is disconcerting. If federal authorities are properly using the information and complying with all applicable laws, secrecy should not be required.

The Flock Safety system can play a valuable role in preventing and solving crime; there are documented instances of it being used to locate stolen cars or even missing people. But more transparency surrounding its use should be required.

Until then, local agencies are wise to pause their surveillance.