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Resident praises Dane County vote to cut Flock camera funding and urges Middleton to judge company by actions
Summary
A resident told the council that the Dane County Board voted to remove funding for Flock cameras, removing 26 cameras and saving roughly $80,000; he urged Middleton to consider the company’s actions in evaluating local camera use.
During the public-comment period, resident Garrick Abatista urged the Middleton Common Council to weigh Flock Technologies’ actions rather than its statements after the Dane County Board voted to remove county funding for Flock’s camera program.
Abatista said that, following a large community turnout, the Dane County Board voted "31 to 1" to remove the funding that supported Flock cameras, which he said will result in the contract expiring, a roughly $80,000 savings and removal of 26 cameras previously used by the Dane County Police Department. He also recounted Verona’s experience: after Verona’s council ended its Flock contract, Abatista said Flock initially did not remove cameras and that the city had to cover cameras with bags before Flock finally sent staff on a repair ticket to remove the coverings.
"I ask you to all judge Flock based on their actions and not on their words," Abatista told the council, saying the fact that the cameras "were able to notice that they were covered" implied to him that they remained powered and collecting data after contracts expired.
Abatista closed by congratulating newly elected officials and urging council consideration of the county-level vote and the company’s behavior in future decisions about local camera deployments.
