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Alpena County panel rescinds Stonegarden approval after debate over Flock surveillance cameras
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Summary
The Finance Ways & Means Committee rescinded earlier approval of a $100,000 Operation Stonegarden grant and rejected a separate Flock camera purchase after commissioners raised privacy and third‑party data concerns; Sgt. JP Ritter was authorized to accept a final grant without cameras and report back.
Chairman John Kozlowski and county commissioners debated whether federal Stonegarden grant funds should be used to purchase Flock-brand surveillance cameras before reversing course on March 10.
Sgt. JP Ritter presented an Operation Stonegarden grant application of $100,000 for the Sheriff’s Office, saying the award would support local law enforcement efforts. The committee initially recommended approval of the grant with no county match.
Undersheriff Cash Kroll then proposed purchasing Flock cameras using Stonegarden funds: $30,250 to purchase and install and an additional $24,000 per year in recurring costs. Multiple commissioners questioned the privacy implications and what data a third-party vendor could access. Commissioners expressed concern about vendor-held footage and community privacy safeguards.
A separate motion to approve the Flock camera agreement failed (AYES: Lucille Bray, John Kozlowski; NAYS: William LaHaie, Dan Ludlow, Brenda Fournier, Todd Britton, Travis Konarzewski). After that vote, the committee voted unanimously to rescind the prior motion approving the full $100,000 Stonegarden grant and instead authorized Sgt. Ritter to move forward with whatever final agreement Stonegarden representatives approve, explicitly removing the flock cameras from local plans. Sgt. Ritter will report back to the board with the final grant funding amount at the next meeting.
The record shows no final purchase of cameras and no county match required for the grant application as presented. The committee’s actions leave the Stonegarden application intact but require county staff to accept grant terms that exclude the contested surveillance equipment.
Next steps: Sgt. Ritter will return with the final grant award amount and any approved uses. The committee did not adopt a contract for the cameras or transfer Stonegarden funds to a Flock contract at this meeting.