Nov 9, 2025
When Washington tattoo artist Jose Rodriguez filed what he thought was a simple public records request, he didn’t expect to spark a statewide privacy battle. Nor did he think it would force two cities to shut off their police surveillance cameras.
However, that’s exactly what happened in Sedro Woolley and Stanwood, small towns north of Seattle that had quietly deployed Flock Safety’s automated license plate readers - cameras that snap photos of every passing vehicle, 24 hours a day.
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After months of legal wrangling, a Skagit County judge ruled that the data collected by those cameras qualify as public records and must be released under Washington’s Public Records Act.
The decision, the first of its kind in the state, has sent shockwaves through law enforcement agencies and privacy watchdogs alike, raising questions about how much personal surveillance data cities collect, who controls it and how easily it could be exposed or misused.
A one-man privacy crusade
Rodriguez says he’s not a lawyer or a political activist. He’s a working artist who got curious about how far police surveillance has expanded.
“I felt like that's violating my privacy, everyone's privacy,” he told Seattle’s KING 5 News [1]. “It's not like they are a traffic light camera that takes pictures of all the people that are breaking the law by speeding or whatever.”
When Rodriguez requested data from multiple departments, some complied, providing thousands of images that showed not only license plates but also the faces of everyday drivers. Others refused, arguing the requests were too broad or that releasing the data would threaten public safety.
Two cities, Sedro Woolley and Stanwood, went a step further: they sued Rodriguez to block the release entirely.
This month, Judge Elizabeth Yost Neidzwski sided with Rodriguez, declaring that the photos are indeed public records and must be accessible like any other government data.
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Her reasoning was blunt: the Flock network’s surveillance scope was ‘so broad and indiscriminate’ that it captured mostly innocent citizens, not suspects.
Now both cities have switched off their cameras indefinitely.
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What’s really at stake
Flock Safety, an Atlanta-based tech firm valued at $7.5 billion, backed by venture capital from Andreessen Horowitz, boasts over 80,000 A.I.-powered cameras across the U.S., servicing 5,000 law enforcement customers in 49 states, with a lofty goal of wiping out all crime in the U.S. [2]
But as cities sign multimillion-dollar contracts, many residents have no idea what data the cameras collect or how long it’s stored.
A University of Washington study published last month revealed that federal agents had accessed Washington’s Flock network, potentially violating a state law that bans using such systems for immigration enforcement [3]. That revelation adds fuel to Rodriguez’s fears.
Rodriguez’s attorney Tim Hall, says the case exposes major gaps in oversight. “I think a lot of cities are discovering right now that we don't know who all has access to this,” he told KING 5, going on to suggest that Flock’s software is beyond simple license plate readers.
The money trail behind your license plate
For consumers, the story isn’t just about privacy. It’s about the value of data.
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Surveillance networks like Flock’s collect billions of data points each year. While the company says its data isn’t sold to advertisers, it licenses analytics to law enforcement and security firms, creating what digital-rights experts call a ‘surveillance marketplace.’
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has warned that license plate data can be cross-referenced with location records, retail logs, and financial apps to build detailed profiles of where people live, shop, and work [4].
And as privacy laws vary by state, even non-criminal data can be sold, subpoenaed, or breached. The Federal Trade Commission sued Idaho-based data broker Kochava for selling geolocation data from hundreds of millions of mobile phones that could be used to track consumers [5].
Read More: Dave Ramsey says this 7-step plan ‘works every single time’ to kill debt, get rich in America — and that ‘anyone’ can do it
What drivers should know
If your city uses Flock cameras or similar systems, here are steps you can take to protect yourself and push for transparency:
- Check your city’s surveillance policy. Public contracts and camera locations are often available through your local police or records office.
- Ask about retention limits. Some cities keep plate data for 30 days; others for years. Shorter limits mean less risk.
- Opt out where possible. If you run a business or HOA that uses Flock for security, you can disable data-sharing with law enforcement.
- Watch for state legislation. Washington’s Public Records Act now sets a precedent — and other states may follow with their own disclosure rules.
Even small details, like where your car was parked, can reveal patterns about your personal life. Once logged, those patterns can be hard — or even impossible — to erase.
Privacy meets accountability
Cities that embraced license plate readers as ‘smart policing’ tools are now facing a backlash. Sedro Woolley and Stanwood turned off their systems after the ruling; others are reviewing contracts with Flock and similar vendors.
Meanwhile, Rodriguez’s case could reshape how Washington - and eventually the United States — defines public access versus personal privacy.
KING 5 News (1); Forbes (2); The University of Washington (3); EFF (4); The Guardian (5)
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James is the editor in chief of Moneywise and Money.ca. His work has appeared in the Nikkei, Postmedia publications, Canadian Business and MSN. He holds an Honours degree from the University of Waterloo. James is an avid history buff and enjoys cycling as well as going on exciting adventures.
