Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Glenn Heights council hears Flock Safety camera proposal and privacy concerns; no vote taken
Summary
Flock Safety presented a proposed mix of license‑plate readers and pan‑tilt‑zoom cameras, a transparency portal and a default 30‑day retention policy; council members pressed on public‑records requests, DHS/ICE access and community controls. Council did not act; the item will return for consideration.
Flock Safety representatives briefed Glenn Heights council on April 7 about proposed locations for license‑plate reader (LPR) cameras and live‑video cameras, answered questions about privacy and public‑records access, and said the system can be configured to enforce city policy.
Kyle Malone (Flock) walked the council through site maps that showed a mix of seven LPRs, three fixed live‑video camera bundles and two pan‑tilt‑zoom cameras proposed for major approaches and two parks. "By default, all data that is collected by the cameras is hard deleted after 30 days unless your policy specifies a different time frame," a Flock presenter said when asked about retention. The company also demonstrated a transparency portal that can publish camera policies, retention rules and sharing agreements to a public web page.
Councilmembers raised civil‑liberties and public‑records issues. Councilmember Lightfoot called for assurances the system would not be used in ways the community finds objectionable; councilmember Washington asked whether federal agencies such as ICE can access data. Flock public affairs staff said the company holds no active contracts with DHS or ICE and that sharing with outside agencies would be governed by local policy and any applicable law. Kristen McLeod (Flock) advised council to consult the city attorney about public‑records requests and exemptions.
There was no motion to adopt the system tonight; Councilmember Mosley said he will bring the item back as an action item at a future meeting after staff and the firm provide formal proposals, pricing and a draft policy for access, retention and external‑agency queries. Flock provided a cost summary in the presentation and offered to supply visuals of camera views and the full proposal via email for council review.
