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Resident urges county to revisit Flock camera contract, cites privacy concerns
Summary
A Warren County resident asked commissioners to hold a hearing on the county's contract with Flock, arguing the license-plate camera network enables tracking and third-party sharing that threaten privacy; the board took the request under advisement and said budget hearings are the proper venue to review contract appropriations.
Ian Logan addressed the board during public comment to urge a county hearing on the Flock license-plate camera contract and to ask whether the county intends to appropriate funds for the system in the 2027 budget cycle. Logan said the cameras, installed on poles with solar panels, enable broad location tracking and called them "an overreach." He raised concerns about the vendor's retention and third-party-sharing provisions and that the county does not store footage locally.
Logan told the board he was particularly concerned that the network's scale allows tracking of movements countywide and that the vendor's contract gives it discretion to share footage with third parties during the retention period. He asked the board to schedule a dedicated hearing and review the contract before any appropriation is made.
Commissioners said budget hearings are open to the public and suggested the budget process is the appropriate venue to review any contract that would require county funding; staff said they would take Logan's request under advisement. No formal action or vote on the Flock contract occurred at the meeting.
Logan's request highlights local privacy concerns that neighbors and civil-liberties advocates often raise about automated license-plate readers and off-site data retention. The board did not commit to a specific hearing date but indicated it will consider the matter during upcoming budget and committee meetings.
