Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Surveillance Privacy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Candidate urges commissioners to reconsider surveillance cameras and shift opioid recovery funds to people-focused services
Summary
Ace Parsi, a Democratic congressional nominee, urged Monongalia County commissioners to reconsider Flock surveillance cameras and to prioritize opioid recovery money for human services, citing privacy risks; county civil counsel pointed listeners to a sheriff transparency page.
Ace Parsi, who identified himself as the Democratic nominee for U.S. Congress in the district, used the commission's public comment period to urge commissioners to reconsider plans for Flock surveillance cameras and to advocate using opioid recovery funds for direct recovery services. "I specifically immigrated from Iran, which is one of the most notorious surveillance states in the entire world," Parsi said, arguing that even well-intentioned camera programs can create long-term privacy risks.
Parsi told the commission, "I urge you to reconsider the use of this," and asked officials to weigh the technology’s capabilities and future uses, including data sharing and potential subpoenas. In response, Bader Gegenbach, civil counsel for the county, said Sheriff Todd Forbes was not present but that the sheriff's office maintains a transparency webpage with documents and information about Flock and the program’s use in the county.
