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Residents press Richardson Council on Flock Safety cameras, teen spaces and neighborhood stormwater concerns
Summary
Three members of the public urged council action: one called for halting and removing Flock Safety license‑plate cameras citing cybersecurity and privacy risks; a student urged the city to create teen spaces and workforce readiness programming; a resident pressed for clarity and enforcement options for a recurring stormwater flooding problem.
Three public commenters used the allocated public‑comment period to press the City Council on distinct neighborhood concerns, ranging from mass surveillance to youth services and local flooding.
Melissa Wark, who identified herself as a Richardson resident, told the council the city approved a contract on Jan. 8, 2024 with Flock Safety for 20 cameras at $74,900 but she said at least 52 Flock cameras have since been installed in the city. Wark cited out‑of‑state incidents in which officers or contractors allegedly misused ALPR systems and raised cybersecurity concerns, saying researchers had identified roughly 60 vulnerabilities in the Flock ecosystem and that some devices run Android 8 without current security updates. "I'm requesting the Council take the following actions: immediately halt any new Flock Safety camera installations in Richardson, remove all existing Flock cameras currently operating in the city, refuse to enter into any future contract with Flock Safety or any comparable mass surveillance ALPR vendor, and commit publicly to protecting residents' Fourth Amendment rights against warrantless tracking," Wark said.
Alfredo Granados, a 17‑year‑old Richardson High School student, urged the city to invest in spaces and programming for teenagers, suggesting open sports tournaments, teen nights with local businesses, designated pool times, and workshops (college essay writing, resume development, CPR/first aid certification) to help youth prepare for work and adulthood.
Lauren Peca (resident) described a long‑running stormwater flooding problem in the North of Breckenridge and the adjacent Greenfields subdivision. Peca said she has pursued engineering, stormwater and health departments for more than a year and a half, provided ordinance excerpts and maps, and asked the council to clarify how the city can invoke subdivision or common‑area maintenance provisions to address drainage easement failures. Staff acknowledged receipt of Peca's materials and said they would follow up via email.
Council did not take formal action on these public comments during the meeting; staff confirmed they had the commenters' emails or materials and would respond or follow up as appropriate.
