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Brook Park approves Flock license‑plate cameras; residents raise privacy concerns
Summary
Council passed an ordinance to buy eight Flock license‑plate readers (equipment ~$25,750; annual service ~$24,000) and authorized applying for grant reimbursement; residents and a council member raised questions about how the system stores vehicle data and whether cameras record more than plates.
Brook Park’s City Council approved an ordinance to contract with Flock Incorporated for license‑plate reading cameras and related services, authorizing purchase of cameras and immediate placement of the matter on the council agenda so the city could pursue state grant reimbursement.
Mayor Orcutt told the caucus the local plan is to add eight Flock cameras (the grant covers eight) at equipment cost of $25,750 and annual service of $24,000. He said the purchase is in addition to an existing $30,000‑range fee the city already pays for other camera services and described the tools as focused on license‑plate recognition and dispatch alerts: the vendor’s network notifies dispatch when a plate matches criteria entered into the system.
Council members pressed for technical detail. Councilman Troyer asked why a packet page referenced eight cameras while an exhibit showed 10; the mayor and staff clarified the grant is for eight cameras. Councilman Poindexter and others asked whether the system can be used to ‘track’ vehicles over time; the mayor and staff said the systems are configured to alert on preprogrammed plate criteria and that they do not randomly monitor residents.
Public commenters split on the issue. Albert Wolf said license‑plate readers can speed recovery in missing‑child or abduction cases and supported the cameras. Another resident who identified as “Resident, Ward 1” urged more research and cited external reports (ACLU, academic studies) saying Flock systems record every vehicle and build searchable vehicle 'fingerprints' of color, damage and other features; the resident warned of potential Fourth Amendment and stalking issues and urged caution before spending taxpayer funds. Recreation Director Chris and the mayor said they would supply more technical documentation about how the vendor handles data and how alerts are routed to dispatch. Council also noted that passage would allow the chief to apply for grant funding that requires an executed ordinance before application for reimbursement.
What’s next: Ordinance 11505‑2025 passed under suspension of the rules; staff will collect and share technical and privacy details from the vendor and law department review will continue if needed.
