Residents urge Des Moines council to decommission Flock Safety surveillance cameras

Two members of the public used the Jan. 8 public-comment period to press the Des Moines City Council to decommission the city’s Flock Safety cameras.

Chris Dela Rosa, who said he has more than 20 years in IT management and security, told the council he has submitted technical documentation and legal references and asked the council to schedule a vote to decommission all 15 Flock cameras. He alleged the cameras were installed without required electrical permits and said Flock has shared data with federal agencies such as U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Homeland Security Investigations. "I'm asking formally requesting a vote to decommission and shut down all 15 FLOCK cameras," he said.

Judy Grandy said she requested Flock data from the city and explained that the cameras use automatic license plate recognition and can capture vehicle characteristics; she said Des Moines currently retains data for 30 days but that data preserved for investigations could remain on city hardware for five to 10 years. Grandy asked the council to schedule a January vote to decommission the cameras.

Councilmember JC Nutting asked for a future presentation from the police chief to review what residents have said and what the actual program metrics are; Councilmember Harris asked for a statistical review to understand the program’s benefits. Mayor and other council members agreed to place a staff presentation on a future meeting agenda so the council can evaluate privacy, operations and public-safety trade-offs.

No formal policy action on the cameras was taken at the Jan. 8 meeting.