Residents press Tompkins County to end Flock camera use as legislature forms review group

Tompkins County residents urged the Legislature to end its participation in the Flock Safety camera program as county leaders said a working group will study the technology and contract options.

At the meeting, Amanda Kirch Gessner recounted an incident she called an attempted abduction on Cayuga Street and said county police told her the Flock system had been disabled when she reported it. "If it had been active, there's a real possibility that the vehicle could have been identified," she said. Multiple other speakers cited examples they described as misuse, including allegedly improper searches, data retention beyond contract limits, and nonlocal access to data.

Public Safety Committee Chair Travis Brooks said the committee had formed a working group whose first meeting is scheduled for the first week of April and emphasized a cautious approach. "We want to make sure whatever direction we go into is what's best for the community," he said, adding the group will include stakeholders from neighborhoods historically affected by violence.

Commenters pressed for a faster decision, noting an April 28 deadline in the county's Flock Safety contract that requires 30 days' notice to avoid automatic renewal. Several speakers said they had documentation — including an email they attributed to Charles Tyree at the New York Division of Criminal Justice Services — indicating that terminating the county's use of Flock could be done without jeopardizing other grant funding. Adam Chandler and others urged the Legislature to obtain an on-the-record legal clarification from DCJS.

Kayla Matos, representing the City of Ithaca, said the city council had directed city attorneys to proceed with turning off its cameras pending legal follow-up, though she cautioned cameras were not yet officially turned off because 30 days' notice would be required.

The Legislature did not vote to cancel the county contract. Instead, members agreed to continue deliberations and to form a working group to analyze contracts, legal risk, and alternatives. The chair also added a separate contingency-fund resolution for legal assistance for tenants (see related article) to the agenda so residents affected by concurrent housing crises can access counsel while decisions proceed.

What happens next: the Flock working group will meet in early April and the county attorney and staff were asked to seek clear, on-the-record guidance about any grant-related constraints and contract timelines.