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Oceana County approves 90‑day trial of Flock Safety license‑plate readers amid privacy questions
Summary
The Oceana County Board approved a no‑cost, 90‑day pilot of Flock Safety license‑plate readers and asked for intergovernmental funding plans and a follow‑up presentation on effectiveness before further commitment. Officials raised privacy, data access and billing questions during committee review.
The Oceana County Board of Commissioners voted March 27 to enter a 90‑day, no‑cost trial agreement with Flock Safety to test license‑plate reader cameras countywide.
Undersheriff Ryan Schiller told the Finance and Administration Committee the pilot, called “Project Prove It,” would deploy 38 cameras across the county during June, July and August and allow jurisdictions to opt out without penalty. “Project Prove It allows for a 90‑day Opt‑Out period without penalty or fee for all jurisdictions involved,” Schiller said.
Gina Ryan of Flock Security, who joined the committee via Zoom, said the cameras capture rear license plates and scan them against NCIC and backend databases to notify officers in real time if there is a hit. “The cameras do not invade privacy or provide facial recognition,” she said, and the vendor provides installation costs for the pilot period. She added the system includes an audit trail and a Data Transparency Portal the community can access.
Committee members sought specifics on ownership, data access and costs after the pilot. Joel McCormick asked whether the system included safeguards against data‑access abuse; Schiller and Gina Ryan pointed to audit logs and access controls. McCormick also asked where servers are hosted; Ryan said the system is cloud‑based and she would request the vendor’s IT/security team provide server locations.
Chairperson Robert H. Walker said he understood the technology’s potential but voiced “passive concerns” about privacy and said participating jurisdictions and cost arrangements should be informed before implementation. Pentwater Chief Laude Hartrum told the committee his department approved the pilot, noting it helps small departments monitor schools and provides 24/7 coverage that they could not otherwise afford.
At the full board, commissioners moved to approve the pilot with the expectation the county and participating jurisdictions would negotiate intergovernmental funding agreements and interdepartmental use policies and that the vendor would present effectiveness and funding progress before further expansion. The motion passed on a roll‑call vote with all five commissioners voting yes.
The board and committee asked county staff to clarify invoicing options (individual jurisdiction billing or county fiduciary), confirm server locations and provide a user agreement that defines permitted uses, sharing and auditing before any long‑term commitment.
