A Washington judge ruled that images captured by Flock Safety’s automated license plate readers are public records. The decision stemmed from a citizen’s public records request challenging the indiscriminate surveillance. In a direct response, the cities of Sedro-Woolley and Stanwood deactivated their Flock camera systems. The cities ironically argued that releasing the data would violate the privacy of innocent drivers and expose them to risks like stalking–the same argument civil liberties advocates use against the technology itself. This ruling forces a confrontation between public records laws and the reality of mass data collection, where every vehicle is photographed regardless of any connection to a crime. The cities are now evaluating a potential appeal while their surveillance networks remain offline.