Residents urge Lebanon council to end use of Flock Safety cameras, citing privacy concerns

Two Lebanon residents told the City Council they oppose the municipality’s use of Flock Safety automated license‑plate readers and asked council members to end renewals of the service.

Mikael (spelled in transcript as “Mikhail”) Qualls said the cameras create an artificial‑intelligence “vehicle fingerprint” that can include make, model, owner information (by cross‑reference to DMV records) and even cosmetic defects; he said the company’s database is searchable nationwide and can retain data from 30 days up to a year. Qualls described the system as a Fourth Amendment violation and urged the council to “End flock safety now.”

Amanda Qualls, who also spoke, echoed those concerns and urged councilors to consider policing alternatives that do not infringe civil liberties. She urged the council to end renewal of any Flock Safety contracts so the company would remove cameras and data, and she called for bold action from elected officials.

Councilor Crowell thanked the Quallses for coming and said councilors were open to hearing ways to improve the city’s use of technology. No council action or motion to change contract renewals was recorded in the meeting minutes; the remarks were heard during the public‑comment portion of the meeting.