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Resident urges Delavan to end any Flock surveillance contract, citing privacy concerns
Summary
Rachel DeBow of Delavan urged council to terminate the city’s contract with Flock surveillance cameras, alleging nationwide misuse of data, ties to firms and agencies, and urging a vetted public process for any surveillance procurement.
Rachel DeBow, a Delavan resident, used the public comment period to ask the council to terminate any city contract with Flock, a company that provides AI‑enabled license‑plate and video surveillance systems.
DeBow said thousands of Flock cameras have been installed nationally and alleged “corrupt ties” between Flock and entities including ICE, Amazon and other private firms; she also referenced Palantir founder Peter Thiel and asserted documented cases where Flock data was abused by local, state and federal officials in 2024 and 2025. She told council she emailed an essay with cited sources to the mayor and City Administrator Paul Wilson and offered to send it to other members.
DeBow said she was not accusing Delavan officers of misconduct but urged the city to either terminate any existing contract or, if the city chooses to continue public surveillance, to select a vendor vetted and approved by the public. She said the community is uneasy about public funds being spent on an “AI‑powered surveillance system” and urged greater transparency.
The council did not record a response to the comment during the meeting. DeBow’s remarks were delivered during the public comment period; she provided contact information and indicated she submitted supporting materials to city officials.
