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Dozens of residents urge Oklahoma City to end Flock ALPR contract, cite privacy and wrongful-stop risks
Summary
Faith leaders, residents and advocacy groups urged the council to reject renewal of the city's contract with Flock Safety, citing examples of misreads and alleged wrongful stops elsewhere, calls for a 24-hour retention limit and stricter data-sharing controls.
Dozens of speakers at the council's citizens-to-be-heard period urged the city not to renew its contract with Flock Safety, the vendor that provides automated license plate readers (ALPRs). Clergy, residents and organizers described surveillance risks, alleged misreads and wrongful stops in other jurisdictions and urged immediate policy changes or contract termination.
Reverend Dr. Lori Walkie told the council that ALPRs collect data on millions of vehicle movements regardless of suspicion, and she cited cases and public records that, she said, show wrongful arrests and profiling tied to ALPR data. Several speakers, including Maury Williams and Josh Higginbotham, cited specific incidents from other cities where ALPR misreads led to armed stops, settlements or discipline and described a broader pattern of harm.
Speakers asked the council to limit retention to 24 hours and to prohibit data sharing with outside agencies and third parties unless legally required. Josh Higginbotham, speaking for Oklahomans for Bridal, said the existing 60-day retention policy leaves residents vulnerable to tracking and called for termination of the renewal.
Others urged the council to consider technical aspects of the deployment, including the increasing number of cameras in the metro area, new Condor-style mobile units with pan/tilt capability, and reports that some units also include microphones. Several speakers asked the council to consider alternatives and to require stronger guardrails while the city evaluates the efficacy and civil-rights implications of ALPRs.
City staff indicated discussion of the contract renewal will continue at future meetings; at the close of public comment, council members thanked speakers and said they were listening to constituent concerns.
