AUBURN. Wash. — This story was originally published on MyNorthwest.com
The City of Auburn condemned U.S. Border Patrol’s use of its Flock camera system after it discovered agents used it without permission.
The Auburn Police Department (APD) and the City of Auburn announced, via a Facebook post Monday, that U.S. Border Patrol gained direct access to the Flock system.
City officials emphasized that the surveillance happened without their knowledge.
“We want to state clearly: this access occurred unknowingly to us,” officials stated in their post. “The City of Auburn has not knowingly allowed, nor will we allow, direct access to our Flock system by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), U.S. Border Patrol, or any other federal immigration enforcement agency.”
City of Auburn implements stricter controls on Flock system
Officials underlined that the Flock system is used strictly for criminal law enforcement and public safety — not immigration enforcement.
“While Flock’s national network allows agencies across the country to share information, Auburn has not intentionally or knowingly granted access to any agency directly affiliated with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) or engaged in immigration enforcement activities,” the City of Auburn wrote.
After learning of the unauthorized access, officials said APD leadership immediately turned off Flock’s “National Lookup” feature, which may have allowed access through a shared national network.
APD also implemented enhanced monitoring protocols, where every month, the department conducts reviews of Flock usage data.
“If any agency is found to be using Auburn’s Flock data for immigration enforcement purposes, its access is immediately and permanently revoked,” city officials stated.
Police have reached out to University of Washington researchers for clarification on their findings.
“The integrity of our public safety systems, and the trust our community places in them, is non-negotiable,” Auburn Mayor Nancy Backus stated via the post. “We will continue to take every measure necessary to safeguard our data, uphold state law, and ensure our technology is used only for lawful and ethical policing purposes.”
The City of Auburn noted there will be regular monitoring of the Flock network.
Mountlake Terrace residents push back on Flock cameras
Earlier this year, Mountlake Terrace residents have pushed back against the city’s plan to install new security cameras.
Residents feared the Flock Safety cameras, approved in a 5-2 vote on June 5, could be used by ICE to track people, The Everett Herald reported.
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