A report from the University of Washington found that some police departments’ Flock cameras had been used by immigration enforcement agencies, including Auburn’s Flock cameras.

The Flock camera systems are automated license plate readers from the Flock Safety company.

According to a report from the University of Washington Center for Human Rights, through public records requests, it learned that federal agencies involved in immigration enforcement accessed various Washington state police departments’ automated license plate readers.

According to the report, Auburn enabled one-to-one sharing of its Flock Network with border patrol at some point during 2025.

In an Oct. 20 press release from the City of Auburn, the city reports it did not intentionally grant any immigration enforcement agencies access to its Flock system, but through the “National Lookup” feature on Flock, it may have inadvertently allowed such access.

“After learning via the report that Flock’s ‘National Lookup’ feature may have allowed unintended access through a shared national network, Auburn Police leadership immediately acted and has since turned off that feature, effectively closing any potential backdoor that could have connected federal agencies to Auburn’s cameras,” the release stated. “Additionally, the Auburn Police Department has implemented enhanced monitoring protocols.”

According to the release, Auburn did not allow, and will not allow, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Border Patrol, or any other federal immigration enforcement agency direct access to its Flock system.

According to the city, Auburn’s Flock cameras are used only for legitimate criminal law enforcement and public safety purposes. The city reports that Flock’s national network allows agencies across the country to share information, but that Auburn has not intentionally or knowingly granted any agency directly affiliated with the Department of Homeland Security or engaged in immigration enforcement activities access.

The city reports that now the police department conducts a comprehensive review of usage data exported directly from the Flock system every month. If any agency is found to be using Auburn’s flock data for immigration enforcement purposes, its access would be permanently revoked.

“The integrity of our public safety systems, and the trust our community places in them, is non-negotiable,” Auburn Mayor Nancy Backus said. “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.”