Are more license plate readers coming to Pierce County? Here’s where they would be

Update: The Sumner City Council accepted the grant to pay for Flock Safety cameras at the Aug. 5. meeting.

Initial post: Cameras that recognize motorists’ license plates could be installed on some major roadways in East Pierce County within the next year or so.

The Sumner Police Department and Bonney Lake Police Department recently received grants that can pay for Flock Safety cameras. Flock Safety is a company based in Atlanta that offers license plate recognition, video surveillance and gunfire detection systems.

Both police departments are considering getting license plate recognition cameras that capture still images of the back of vehicles. Police officials say the cameras will not record any audio or video, and they will not have facial recognition.

The Sumner City Council and Bonney Lake City Council must vote to accept the grant before any cameras can be installed. Sumner council members will vote Monday, Aug. 5.

Bonney Lake council members will revisit the topic Tuesday, Aug. 20. Bonney Lake Police Chief Mark Berry told The News Tribune via email that further discussions will happen Aug. 20, which means there will not be a vote yet. It is unknown when the cameras might be installed in Bonney Lake, if they are approved. The police department may have a total of 22-24 cameras at intersections such as state Route 410 and Veterans Memorial Drive, SR 410 and South Prairie Road, SR 410 and 214th Avenue East, and 214th Avenue East and Sumner Buckley Highway.

Sumner Deputy Police Chief Andy McCurdy told The News Tribune that the soonest cameras could go up in Sumner is January 2025. A total of 12 cameras are expected to be in certain areas along 24th Street East, East Valley Highway, Main Street, Valley Avenue and Traffic Avenue.

Flock has a subscription business model. Sumner Police’s grant will cover one year. Bonney Lake Police’s grant will cover two years. City Council members will decide how the cameras will be financially supported after that, or if they want to stop using the cameras overall.

The police departments received grants from the Washington Auto Theft Prevention Authority.

The cameras are solar-powered. They collect license plate information as well as the color, make and model of a vehicle. Police can receive alerts if a camera detects a wanted vehicle whether it is reported stolen, the subject of an AMBER Alert for a missing child, or any suspect vehicle in general. The cameras do not track speed or parking violations.

Police officials say any data collected will be deleted after 30 days.

McCurdy said officers would use the cameras to follow up on investigations. Officers will not look through data for noncriminal matters, he said.

Berry said anyone who searches the system must log in with their ID and have a case number for the related investigation. The police department would be able to audit searches in the system, he said.

Bonney Lake Mayor Terry Carter wrote in an email that he has looked into Flock Safety and any privacy concerns the City Council may have. He said he believes Flock is “a positive game changer” for public safety.

Over 50 police departments in the state already have Flock systems installed, including Puyallup, Lakewood and Eatonville. More recently, crews installed 17 license plate recognition cameras in Pacific.

The News & Observer reported in May that agencies with a Flock system can set up a “transparency portal,” showcasing information such as the number of vehicles detected and which outside agencies have access to their data. It is meant for the public to use to see how their police department is using the technology.

Sumner spokesperson Carmen Palmer wrote in an email that the police department plans to have a transparency portal.

Berry said the Bonney Lake Police Department plans to have a transparency portal, too.

CEO Garrett Langley considers Flock systems as a force multiplier for law enforcement, The News & Observer reported. The company has highlighted many instances where investigators solved cases with the help of Flock systems.

Flock cameras routinely capture tens of millions of vehicles every 30 days nationwide, The News & Observer reported. Less than 1 percent of those vehicles are connected to wanted suspects, missing persons or auto thefts, their investigation found.

The News Tribune reported in 2023 that the American Civil Liberties Union has raised concerns about Flock cameras, stating that they will contribute to a “form of mass surveillance unlike any seen before in American life.”

Berry said the Bonney Lake Police Department understands concerns about having private information shared or being watched. He said they are trying to weigh the balance between “government intrusion, the benefits to public safety and the impacts on citizen privacy.”

McCurdy said the cameras do not take photos of people. The cameras cannot see or identify people in vehicles, he said, and they are helpful especially when only a few police officers are working at a time.

“We have to start using technology to assist us. I try to be very mindful of finding technology that runs that fine line between collecting data but also not surveilling the public … This is a pretty unique system that’s done a good job of striking that balance,” McCurdy said.

This story was originally published August 5, 2024 at 5:15 AM.