Redmond’s police chief and councilmembers on Tuesday weighed whether to reinstate, modify or terminate the city’s paused Flock automated license‑plate reader (ALPR) program, and the council directed staff to obtain a legal briefing on contractual options.

Chief Daryl Lowe outlined options to modify the program’s data‑retention schedule and to consider other vendors. “We do have the ability to modify it from the current 30‑day retention that it’s currently set at,” Lowe said, adding that “reducing that timeline operationally to 10 or 12 days is in fact doable and functional for us.” Lowe said the department’s internal and external audits showed no instance in which Redmond data was accessed by federal authorities.

Lowe cautioned that an outright cancellation of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the vendor could constitute a breach of contract absent a material cause and could trigger grant‑repayment obligations to the program’s funders, which staff identified as the Washington State Department of Commerce and the Washington Auto Theft Prevention Authority. Lowe said those financial and legal risks would need to be examined before taking steps to terminate the program.

Councilmembers pressed on privacy, vendor trust and legal exposure. Councilmember Fields asked how Flock differs from other city camera datasets and whether any technological safeguard can guarantee data will never be obtained by a third party; Lowe agreed that all systems are susceptible to vulnerability but reiterated that Redmond’s safeguards and audits had not shown external access. Councilmember Nueva Camino asked how to communicate with residents who distrust the vendor and requested the legal review to include options and costs if the city were to cease using the service.

Council President Kritzker said several jurisdictions nationwide have suspended or ended relationships with similar vendors and asked staff to return with more information about termination authority, costs and risks; Kritzker noted an MOU clause allowing termination for convenience with 30 days prior written notice and asked legal to confirm interpretation. Several councilmembers supported a legal briefing as the next step.

Next steps: the council directed staff to request a legal briefing on contractual options and potential financial liabilities before deciding whether to reactivate, modify or terminate the ALPR contract. The council also discussed including a broader work‑plan conversation on police technology and vendor selection procedures.