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Tompkins County approves state GIVE grant after heated debate over Flock cameras
Summary
After hours of public comment and questions to a Flock Safety representative, the Tompkins County Legislature voted 9–4 to accept a state Gun‑Involved Violence Elimination (GIVE) grant that funds a package of public‑safety measures — including the county's existing Flock license‑plate reader and gunshot detection systems, probation supervision and youth employment funding.
The Tompkins County Legislature voted 9–4 on Oct. 7 to accept a state Gun‑Involved Violence Elimination (GIVE) grant for 2025–2026 that funds a suite of public‑safety measures, including continued use of the county’s Flock license‑plate reader and gunshot‑detection systems, targeted probation supervision and youth employment programs.
Rich John moved the resolution to accept the GIVE grant, saying the program was designed to target and supervise individuals at highest risk for gun involvement. “The GIVE program keeps people out of prison,” he said during debate, noting the grant pays for a mix of enforcement and prevention efforts used in the city. Travis Brooks seconded and urged support, recounting unsolved violent cases in his district and saying surveillance tools and the GIVE partnership had helped solve crimes and remove violent actors from the streets.
Opponents argued that Flock’s technology raises long‑term civil‑liberties and data‑sharing risks. Veronica Pillar said the county has heard “loud and clear” concerns from constituents and questioned whether the county should continue funding a private, networked surveillance system with national connections. Several members cited national examples and litigation in other jurisdictions as evidence of potential misuse.
Sheriff’s Office representatives and the Ithaca Police Department described specific cases they say were solved or narrowed using vehicle‑tracking data, and stressed existing policies requiring legal process for data requests. The sheriff noted the county had limited out‑of‑state access and described audit and accountability features used locally.
The roll call vote recorded nine yes votes and four no votes; the motion carried. Mover: Rich John. Second: Travis Brooks. Vote tally by legislator (as recorded on the roll call): Amanda Champion — no; Deborah Dawson — yes; Rich John — yes; Anne Corman — yes; Mike Lane — no; Greg Mezey — yes; Veronica Pillar — no; Lee Shirtliff — yes; Mike Sigler — yes; Shauna Black — no; Travis Brooks — yes; Randy Brown — yes; Dan Klein — yes.
The resolution authorizes acceptance of the state GIVE award and its budget allocations as proposed for the county. Legislators who opposed the motion said they were not rejecting all GIVE work — such as probation or youth employment funding — but could not support the arrangement while the Flock contract and data‑sharing terms remained a concern. Supporters said removing the GIVE funding could also remove YEP youth employment dollars and probation support tied to the grant.
Next steps: the administration will execute the grant documents and work with county law‑enforcement, probation and partner agencies to implement the funded programs and oversight measures.
