Sayreville authorizes Flock camera system using forfeiture funds; police say public access limited

Sayreville — The Mayor and Borough Council authorized a contract to purchase a Flock camera system, including license‑plate recognition capability, at a cost not to exceed $180,542.43 using law‑enforcement forfeiture funds.

Business administrator and staff described the system as a “state‑of‑the‑art tool used by public‑safety agencies” to monitor public places such as intersections and parks, capture video and support investigations. “They’re generally equipped in addition with video, capturing abilities. They also have automatic license plate readers,” a borough official said during the meeting.

Funding and privacy: Council members asked whether the purchase would cost taxpayers; the borough said the funds come from prior criminal‑case forfeitures and that the county prosecutor had authorized use of the forfeiture funds for the cameras. A staff member said members of the public would not have direct access to the live camera database. Archived footage could be requested via formal records requests and would be redacted according to prevailing law.

What the council did: The authorization was placed on the consent/business agenda and advanced without recorded objection at the meeting. The contract amount on the record is $180,542.43 and the vendor named is Flock Group Inc. of Atlanta, Georgia.

Why it matters: The cameras add a new surveillance capability for the borough and raise typical privacy and transparency questions about access and retention. The meeting record states the system was funded from forfeiture funds, not the general taxpayer base.

Ending: Council directed that the procurement proceed under the stated funding source; no roll‑call vote on the item is recorded in the transcript beyond business consent/approval language.