About This Campaign
DeFlock Snohomish County, for people who live here
Our Mission
This site tracks all 21 jurisdictions in Snohomish County, every incorporated city and town plus the Sheriff, and argues for ending the automated license plate reader contracts that remain.
- Keep a dated, sourced record of where each city stands, so no council can rewrite its own history
- End warrantless tracking of people who are accused of nothing
- Give residents the arguments, templates, and meeting dates they need to be heard in their own city
- Support accountable, constitutional law enforcement
- Stay nonpartisan, because plate readers scan everyone
How We Got Here
Flock cameras arrived across Snohomish County through 2024 and 2025, city by city, usually as a line item rather than a public debate. Lake Stevens switched its network on in October 2024, Mukilteo in April 2025, Mill Creek that September.
What changed the argument was records. Washington courts held in late 2025 and early 2026 that ALPR footage was a public record, and cities that had promised the data would stay contained switched their cameras off rather than disclose it. Herald reporting in November 2025 showed federal agencies had searched county networks thousands of times.
Then the legislature passed ESSB 6002 in March 2026 and exempted ALPR data from the Public Records Act. Everett and Stanwood turned their cameras back on within weeks. Lynnwood, Edmonds, and Mountlake Terrace had already cancelled outright, and those three decisions held. That is the difference this campaign exists to press: a pause depends on outside pressure, a termination is a vote.
Our Approach
Evidence-Based
Every argument backed by documented incidents, legal precedents, and verified research. We stick to specific examples.
Nonpartisan
Civil liberties and constitutional rights transcend political divides. We welcome supporters from all backgrounds.
Multi-Tactic
Public records requests, petitions, media engagement, and public comment at council meetings. Everett needs a different approach than Darrington.
Pro-Law Enforcement
We support constitutional, accountable policing. Mass surveillance undermines trust and wastes resources that could fund effective law enforcement.
What Has Worked in This County
1. Records first
Where: Lynnwood
Records requests and sustained resident pressure produced a 7 to 0 termination on February 23, 2026, the first in Washington after a network was already live.
2. Hold the council to the procedure
Where: Edmonds
The mayor and police chief tried to cancel by letter without council authorization. Residents caught it, and the council cured the defect with a unanimous vote on June 9, 2026.
3. Reach the contract before the poles go up
Where: Mountlake Terrace, Snohomish, Woodway
Mountlake Terrace reversed a $54,000 nine camera contract six months after approving it. Snohomish has left its cameras in the boxes, and Woodway has never signed. Nothing installed means nothing to defend.
Who We Are
DeFlock Snohomish County is an independent local effort. It shares the name and the research of the wider DeFlock movement, but no national organization directs it and none speaks for it.
- Residents of this county, working on this county
- United by privacy concerns, whatever their politics
- Every status claim dated and linked to a city record, council minute, or news report
- Corrections welcome when you have the primary document
- No membership and no dues. An optional update list you can leave whenever you want is the only thing to sign
What We Oppose
- Mass surveillance without warrants or probable cause
- Data sharing with ICE and immigration enforcement
- Secret camera deployments without public consent
- Technical errors leading to wrongful stops and arrests
- Officer misconduct and system abuse
- Commercial exploitation of personal location data by private vendors
- Mission creep into audio, vehicle fingerprinting, and AI
What We Support
- Targeted investigations with warrants based on probable cause
- Transparent data policies with public oversight
- Democratic consent for surveillance deployments
- Responsible law enforcement tools that respect rights
- Retention measured in hours, well inside the 21 days ESSB 6002 allows, with deletion a city can prove
- Strong accountability for misuse and abuse
- Community-controlled public safety priorities
Get Involved
Start with the entry for your own city. If it is wrong, or out of date, the primary document that fixes it is worth more than anything else you can send us.