Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Surveillance Policing topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Resident asks Framingham council for clarity on police contract with Flock license-plate readers
Summary
A resident asked the council for definitive information about the police department's Flock license-plate reader cameras: where they are placed, how data are used, retention and whether data are shared with immigration authorities or other states.
Pat Bridal of 20 Verdad Avenue used public comment time to ask the council for definitive answers about the city police department’s contract for Flock license-plate reader cameras.
“I just personally don’t like being surveilled in that way,” Bridal said, describing cameras stationed around Framingham that photograph license plates and asking whether the captured data could be shared with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement or shared across states.
Bridal said the cameras appear to ring her neighborhood and asked the council whether the department could definitively state how the data are used. “I know it’s supposed to be for crime prevention, but are we sure that it’s not being shared with immigration to track down people…?” she asked, adding concern about state data-sharing loopholes.
The public comment did not include a formal response from police staff during the meeting. The council did not vote or issue direction on the matter at the session; Bridal asked that staff or the police clarify retention, sharing agreements, and oversight so residents can understand how the system is governed.
