EVERETT, Wash. — The City of Everett has shut down its entire network of Flock license plate reader cameras after a Snohomish County judge ruled the footage those cameras collect qualifies as a public record.

The decision came after a Washington man filed public records requests seeking access to data captured by the cameras.

Jose Rodriguez of Walla Walla, represented by attorney Tim Hall, requested the footage from multiple jurisdictions in Washington state, to see what information the automated license plate reader system was collecting.

“He started noticing that the cameras were everywhere — he wanted to see what kind of data they collect,” Hall said.

The requests revealed that Flock cameras continuously capture thousands of images, regardless of whether a vehicle is linked to a crime.

When several cities, including Everett, moved to block the request, the case went to court.

On Tuesday, a Snohomish County judge ruled that footage captured by Flock cameras qualifies as a public record under Washington law, meaning members of the public can request access to the data.

Everett Mayor Cassie Franklin said the city disagrees with the ruling and is concerned about who could obtain the footage.

“We were very disappointed,” Franklin said. “That means perpetrators of crime, people who are maybe engaged in domestic abuse or stalkers, they can request footage and that could cause a lot of harm.”

Following the ruling, Everett temporarily turned off all 68 of its Flock cameras.

At the same time, lawmakers in Olympia are debating a bill that would exempt Flock footage from public records law.

Supporters of the proposed legislation argue that public access to the data could create safety risks, including the possibility that federal immigration agents could attempt to obtain footage through public disclosure requests.

Hall pushed back on those concerns, saying public records requests are typically a lengthy process and unlikely to be useful for real-time tracking.

“As somebody who has made hundreds of public records requests myself, and represented many, many people in public records lawsuits, it’s generally a lengthy process,” Hall said. “Same would be true for ICE. They’re going to get data from where you were three months, two months ago.”

Franklin said if lawmakers pass legislation allowing cities to shield Flock data from public disclosure, Everett would consider turning the cameras back on. She said the city is not dismantling or removing the cameras in the meantime.

“Should we get a fix in Olympia that allows us to protect the data from public disclosure, then we can make the decision to turn them back on,” Franklin said.

For now, Everett’s Flock camera network remains offline, as the debate over transparency, privacy and public safety continues in the Legislature. The bill in Olympia that would put guidelines on Flock's data has passed in the Senate.