Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Surveillance Privacy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Resident urges Springville to end Flock Safety camera contract over privacy concerns
Summary
John Wells told the city council that Flock Safety cameras have expanded beyond promised functions — citing short video clips, AI review, image tagging and third‑party data sharing — and urged the city to cancel the contract.
John Wells, a Springville resident, urged the council to cancel the city’s relationship with Flock Safety, saying the company’s camera network has expanded beyond the limited pilot the city approved.
“Flock’s own road map now includes short video clips, AI review, and image tagging, and microphones that listen for gunfire or human distress,” Wells said, adding that data from the nationwide network is shared “far beyond all our local police with other cities, county, state, and sometimes even with federal agencies.”
Wells recalled the original pitch to the council in 2022 — a modest pilot of two cameras meant to help find stolen or wanted vehicles — and argued that safeguards written into the Springville Police Department’s automated license‑plate recognition (ALPR) policy do not bind Flock as a third party. He cited examples from other cities where local programs expanded or were misused, including sales staff viewing live feeds, officer misuse, and arrests tied to improper access.
He recommended the city cancel the contract, saying the system “views the Fourth Amendment as something to be circumvented for profit.” The council thanked Wells for his remarks; no formal action or staff direction to terminate the contract was recorded in the meeting minutes.
The council did not debate the matter during the meeting and took no vote on Flock Safety. The comment is likely to prompt follow‑up from council members or staff given the examples Wells cited and the governance issues he raised.
