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Residents urge council to pause Flock license-plate camera contract amid national misuse reports
Summary
Multiple residents used public comment to ask the council to pause or cancel the city's contract with Flock ALPR cameras, citing national reporting of misuse, cross-jurisdictional data-sharing (including ICE), and documented local vulnerabilities; council said staff is actively reviewing contracts and policies.
Several residents spoke at length during public comment urging the city to pause or end its contract for Flock license-plate-reader (ALPR) services. Lisonbee said national reporting on Justice Department actions and other press coverage highlighted risks for protesters and privacy concerns, urging council to "pause" the contract. Dave Thomas and Leah Bendix cited documented misuse elsewhere — including officers searching nationwide databases and instances where ALPR data was used outside intended criminal investigations — and asked the council to decommission or more tightly restrict the system.
Dave Thomas said some jurisdictions have used ALPR data to assist federal immigration enforcement and private misuse, noting that 75% of Flock customers are enrolled in a nationwide lookup tool that could enable cross-jurisdictional searches. Jack Lawrence and other speakers described fears about potential stalking or misuse and urged stronger restrictions or cancellation. Council members acknowledged the volume of comments and said staff is actively reviewing existing contracts, security settings and pricing; the mayor said the process is ongoing and the city is taking the concerns seriously.
No formal council action to cancel the contract was taken tonight; council requested staff follow up on contractual protections, data-sharing settings (national lookup and sharing flags) and any necessary policy changes before a future council decision.
