Residents press Bloomington to end or pause Flock Safety contracts; council member proposes pause
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Summary
At a Feb. 18 Bloomington City Council session summarized on Cats Week, multiple residents urged ending the city's contract with Flock Safety over privacy and misuse concerns; Council member Isak Asari introduced a draft resolution to pause expansion of automated license-plate readers as "a first step."
Multiple Bloomington residents used public comment time at a Feb. 18 meeting to urge the city to end or restrict its relationship with Flock Safety, a company that provides automated license-plate reader (ALPR) systems and surveillance services.
Sam, a resident who identified himself during the public comment period, said the systems operate as a "general surveillance network," with live-streamed data, independently powered and networked cameras, and data that the public cannot access. "We don't know who can get it, and it's been shown being used in terrible ways," he said, and asked the council to consider an ordinance to ban Flock and similar technologies.
Seaforth Breeze, who said the camera is installed within sight of his rental home, described daily encounters with the device. "Every single day, when I cycle to work, when I get in my car, all hours, even when I'm on my patio, the camera is staring right down at me," Breeze said, arguing the vendor and comparable companies are not meaningfully accountable to the public.
Community member Moby Jean Glaser urged the council to end its contract and prevent future agreements, citing examples she said are documented nationally where ALPR or related data were used by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, by police officers to stalk former partners, and to track people seeking reproductive health care in other states. Glaser said the mayor had defended the contract at a recent town hall but that many residents disagree.
In response to those public comments, Council member Isak Asari introduced a draft resolution addressing automated license-plate readers that, according to a letter he submitted, would pause further expansion of Flock systems and other ALPR deployments. Asari called the measure "a first step" toward curbing the city's affiliation with Flock.
The resolution was introduced for consideration; the transcript summary does not record a final vote or formal adoption. Next steps, including whether the council will schedule the resolution for a future hearing or vote, were not specified during the reported segments.
