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Privacy concerns raised over Flock Safety cameras; sheriff's office says devices help investigations
Summary
A resident urged Van Buren County commissioners to pause plans for Flock Safety surveillance cameras, citing the company's terms, data retention and possible feature changes; the chief deputy sheriff said the county's planned devices do not, to his knowledge, include facial recognition or audio and recommended inviting a Flock representative to the next meeting.
A public commenter at the Van Buren County commission meeting on a July 2026 agenda asked commissioners to slow down plans for installing Flock Safety surveillance cameras, saying the company's contract and terms raised privacy and data-retention concerns.
Resident Matt Ward told the board he had read Flock's terms and conditions and warned commissioners that ‘‘Flock has perpetual access to data even after the contract trial period is expired or terminated’’ and that the company reserves the right to share data with governments and third parties. Ward said he believed some Flock products can record audio and that changes such as enabling facial-recognition features could be implemented remotely without county consent.
The board had on record a previous action: a staff member read Resolution No. 501 (adopted Nov. 17, 2025), which "endors[ed] the use of visual surveillance devices" and authorized the sheriff's department to gather information on acquiring and installing Flock Safety cameras. The resolution was read into the minutes at the meeting.
Gary Glennon, chief deputy with the sheriff's office, responded during public comment that, "to the best of my knowledge, the devices that we're looking to install have neither of those features" referring to facial recognition and audio recording. He said the sheriff's office requires a case number to run searches on Flock systems for investigative purposes and that the requirement supports auditing and tracking when the tool is used.
Glennon said the cameras have been useful in finding missing seniors and recovering stolen equipment, recounting one case in which an elderly man with dementia was located roughly 2.5 hours after a call was received. He recommended placing the Flock topic on a future agenda and asked that a Flock Safety representative be invited to explain technical capabilities, data-handling practices and any contractual provisions.
Several commissioners and staff told the public that materials submitted to the board or presented at meetings would be included in the minutes or agenda packet and therefore available to the public per routine meeting procedures. Commissioners did not take further formal action on the issue at this meeting; they agreed to seek a Flock representative for a future discussion or special meeting to answer outstanding questions.
The discussion ended with the board agreeing to follow up: staff will request a Flock Safety representative attend a future meeting so commissioners and the public can hear technical details and any contractual conditions firsthand.
