Troy council tables renewal of Flock license‑plate camera contract after hours of public objection

Troy City Council on Thursday deferred a proposed two‑year renewal of the city’s contract with Flock Safety after council members, staff and a packed public forum raised questions about data security, third‑party access and the procurement timeline.

The council voted to table the authorization after more than four hours of debate during committee night. The administration and Troy Police Department argued the cameras help solve violent crime and recover missing persons; opponents — including dozens of residents who spoke during a long public comment period — said the private surveillance platform poses privacy and security risks and lacks sufficient civilian oversight.

Mayor Mantella defended the system as one tool among many for public safety, saying the city “maintains full ownership of the data collected,” that records are retained for 30 days and that the cameras have helped officers solve homicides and locate missing people. Chief DeWolf told the council the cameras “capture a picture of the car and the license plate at a moment in time” and said access is controlled and audited by the department.

Council members repeatedly pressed administration and legal staff about the contract’s automatic‑renewal language and the timing of notice to the council. Council President said corporation counsel confirmed the vendor’s agreement contains an automatic renewal clause and that the previous contract would have renewed on March 31 unless 30‑day notice of non‑renewal was given. Several council members said they received the renewal materials only days before the meeting and that they lacked time to review technical and legal assurances requested from Flock and the administration.

A representative from Flock, speaking remotely, said the company notifies customers of any security incidents and that customer data is controlled by the customer, but that technical personnel are available to answer engineering questions. “If there were ever an issue with a customer account, absolutely we would notify the customer,” Flock spokeswoman Carrie McCormack said.

Public comment was strongly opposed. More than 150 residents attended and dozens spoke, citing national reports of data‑sharing concerns, documented software vulnerabilities in certain camera hardware and cases where out‑of‑jurisdiction searches reportedly accessed ALPR data. “Do not vote yes on this. Terminate the contract,” said Elise Joanna Coats, a Troy resident who addressed the council during the forum.

Council members said they were persuaded that key technical and legal questions remain. Several asked for written evidence of Flock’s security posture (SOC audits), a clear inventory of who has accessed Troy’s logs historically, and a legal opinion on whether the automatic‑renewal clause could be challenged. The council’s motion to table was made to allow staff to obtain that information.

The resolution before the council would have authorized the mayor to enter a two‑year subscription agreement for the city’s license‑plate recognition cameras. City staff acknowledged the devices have been used in Troy since about 2021 and said the department paused participation in any broader national lookup network while the council’s concerns are addressed.

Next steps: the council asked the administration to produce the contract history and any audit logs the department can legally share, to request Flock’s security documentation and to obtain an independent legal review about contractual renewal and liability. The item will return to a future meeting once that material has been provided and reviewed.

The meeting also covered separate committee business: the Science & Technology Committee heard a presentation about the Sustainability Task Force’s push to submit Troy for state Climate Smart Communities bronze certification; the General Services Committee discussed a planned overhaul of Fair (Freer) Park, playground upgrades funded in part by ARPA and an RFP for a permanent restaurant/event space; and Public Utilities reported progress on lead service‑line replacement and water transmission‑line projects.

The council did not take final action on the Flock renewal resolution and left the matter open for further review.