Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Privacy Surveillance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Resident urges transparency for county’s Flock Safety license-plate reader contract
Summary
A Benton Township resident urged the Berrien County Board of Commissioners to publish the Flock Safety contract, clarify data-use and retention policies, and provide annual public reporting and a possible public hearing before renewal of the private license-plate reader system funded by the public safety millage.
Jonathan DeWitt, a Benton Township resident, used the public-comment period at the Berrien County Board of Commissioners meeting to call for greater transparency and oversight of the county's contract with Flock Safety, a private vendor that operates automated license-plate reader (ALPR) cameras.
"This is a private surveillance system that shares license plate data with police and raises important questions about transparency, privacy, and, oversight," DeWitt said. He told commissioners he had reviewed a March resolution approving a five-year contract funded by the public-safety millage and said the resolution's only stated justification was that "the sheriff has found the cameras helpful," with no accompanying data or public discussion presented.
DeWitt asked the board to publish the contract and the county's policies on data use and retention, to provide an annual public report on system use and any issues, and to consider holding a public hearing before any renewal or expansion. "Protecting civil liberties and public safety are both essential, and we deserve transparency when private surveillance is involved," he said.
No formal response from the board or staff is recorded in the transcript at the time of DeWitt's remarks; the comment was taken during the public-comment portion of the meeting.
