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Plate readers © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) · © OpenMapTiles
Washington has 2,637 mapped plate readers. 2,160 carry the Flock Safety tag. Most don't say who runs them.
Orting has the most (158), then Yakima (142) and Everett (73). The first Flock-tagged one was mapped Nov 14, 2024. A plate reader keeps a record of each car that passes.
See who runs them · Cameras in Washington · What is a Flock camera? · Flock cameras in the US · Maps like DeFlock
Flock cameras in Washington by city
A city links to its own page once enough readers are mapped there.
Plate readers mapped in Washington each month
Plate readers of any maker added to the map each month, not only Flock-tagged ones. Lighter bars are estimates from the first-mapped dates of current points.
CamsAhead started its daily change log on October 22, 2026. How the map changed.
Flock-tagged readers first mapped each month
Each row counts the Flock-tagged readers first mapped that month, newest first. Months with none are left out. Each one carries the date it was first mapped.
| Month | First mapped that month | Top cities |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 2026 | 152 | 76 in Orting and 16 in McMillin |
| Sep 2026 | 69 | 5 in Olympia and 4 in Liberty Lake |
| Aug 2026 | 260 | 39 in Yakima and 32 in Orting |
| Jul 2026 | 153 | 9 in Yakima and 8 in Kent |
| Jun 2026 | 74 | 3 in Everett and 3 in Mukilteo |
| May 2026 | 48 | 4 in Sammamish and 3 in Seattle |
| Apr 2026 | 69 | 8 in Everett and 7 in Auburn |
| Mar 2026 | 55 | 7 in Auburn and 5 in Renton |
| Feb 2026 | 70 | 14 in Renton and 10 in Monroe |
| Jan 2026 | 160 | 21 in Renton and 9 in Monroe |
| Dec 2025 | 103 | 5 in Sunnyside and 5 in Tukwila |
| Nov 2025 | 206 | 24 in Pasco and 11 in Spokane Valley |
Who runs the Flock cameras in Washington
Most don't say who runs them. The EFF's Atlas of Surveillance lists 80 agencies in Washington that use plate readers.
- Private operators, not named 135
- City of Yakima 57
- Lakewood Police Department 41
- Spokane County Sheriff's Office 27
- Everett Police Department 25
- Auburn Police 17
- Everett Police 15
- Lynnwood Police 15
- Toppenish Police 12
- Chelan County SO 10
Plate reader law in Washington
| Topic | Washington |
|---|---|
| Status | Law |
| Law | ESSB 6002, Chapter 239, Laws of 2026 (a new chapter in Title 10 RCW) |
| What it does | Makes agency plate-reader use unlawful except for listed purposes, caps retention at 21 days, bars sharing except in judicial proceedings, bars sale and keeps the data out of the Public Records Act. |
| How long it is kept | 21 days, with listed exceptions (warrant or court order, parking, traffic studies 30 days, commercial vehicles six months, evidence) (§ 4) |
| Who it can be shared with | An agency shall not 'Disclose, share, or permit access to automated license plate reader data except as required in a judicial proceeding'; direct system access only for other authorized state or local agencies (§ 5(1)) |
| Public record? | 'not subject to disclosure under the public records act, chapter 42.56 RCW', except de-identified use for bona fide research (§ 5(5)) |
| Public records law | Public Records Act, RCW 42.56 |
| Checked |
See Washington plate reader law next to the other states.
Flock cameras in Washington: questions
How many Flock cameras are in Washington?
2,160 plate readers tagged Flock Safety are on the map in Washington, as of November 7, 2026. The real number may be higher or lower: the map shows only the cameras mapped so far.
Which cities in Washington have the most Flock cameras?
By mapped count: Orting (158), Yakima (142) and Everett (73). The city list on this page shows each city with a Flock-tagged reader.
Is each mapped camera still there?
Not always. A point shows where someone mapped a camera. 10 of the 2,160 carry a date when a volunteer last checked them on the ground.
Washington's plate reader data
From OpenStreetMap, under the Open Database License (ODbL) 1.0. A free copy goes to anyone who asks: how it is made and how to ask.
Know when cameras in Washington change.
Free email alerts for new plate readers mapped near your places. One summary email a month.
- When a plate reader is first mapped near you
- New cameras mapped or reported near you
- What plate readers keep, and who runs them
- Your street, your distance, the camera types you pick
3,221 cameras listed or mapped in Washington so far.
Sources and updates
How this page was made: CamsAhead writes each page type once, then fills it with this place's data from the sources below.
- OpenStreetMap contributors: plate readers, data as of Nov 7, 2026; ODbL 1.0
- EFF Atlas of Surveillance: agencies that use plate readers, data as of Aug 2026; CC BY 4.0
- ESSB 6002, Chapter 239, Laws of 2026 (a new chapter in Title 10 RCW): plate reader law, checked Oct 25, 2026
- Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, Open Government Guide: public records law, checked Oct 25, 2026
Plate reader points are mapped by OpenStreetMap volunteers (data as of November 7, 2026).
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