At least three Seattle-area police departments changed their surveillance programs this week after learning U.S. Border Patrol had searched their Flock Safety databases this year, a practice civil rights researchers and advocates said might violate state law, if done for immigration enforcement purposes.

Police officials in Renton, Auburn and Lakewood said they weren’t aware the federal agency had accessed their departments’ databases until they were notified last week by researchers at the University of Washington Center for Human Rights.

All three use Flock Safety’s surveillance cameras and software, which capture time- and location-stamped images and license plate numbers of any cars passing through their jurisdictions.

In a report published Tuesday, the center identified those agenc

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