Residents press Troy council on zoning and Flock Safety camera renewal; council to review concerns
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Summary
Residents urged council to resist rezoning requests that increase density and flagged security and privacy concerns about the city—s renewed $347,500 contract for Flock Safety license‑plate reader cameras; staff and council said they would review the concerns and follow up.
Several residents used public comment to press the council on land‑use decisions and surveillance technology.
Mary Ellen Barton asked the council for greater transparency on zoning decisions and objected to recent Planning Commission approvals she said increased development density without adequate public engagement. Barton named two projects she said raised concern — the Troy Trail North rezoning (she objected to higher density) and the Somerset Retail project (she urged that incomplete site plans should not be granted waivers) — and warned that transferred wetlands and ongoing drainage obligations could create future city expenses.
Alex Darrow addressed the council about Troy—s August renewal of a contract with Flock Safety for automated license‑plate readers (he said the renewal totaled $347,500). Darrow told council the technology presents privacy and security risks and cited several technical claims from public material: near‑real‑time access without warrants, a 30‑day retention buffer that he said qualifies as dragnet surveillance, a reported Flock demo site misconfiguration that exposed source code, and alleged software vulnerabilities tied to discontinued Android versions. Darrow said he found no independent study showing clear crime‑reduction benefits and asked the council to reconsider the city—s approach.
Walter Cook spoke in support of city staff and volunteers, thanked council members for engaging with local nonprofits and the Troy Community Academy, and praised staff for organizing the academy.
Council members acknowledged the comments, pledged to review Darrow—s material with police and IT staff, and confirmed that planning matters raised by Barton will come forward to the council as required by process.