Public commenters criticize "flock" surveillance rollout, urge oversight legislation

Speakers from the group Flock Off Ithaca told the Tompkins County Legislature they were startled to learn officials voted on a surveillance contract earlier than publicly advertised and called for new oversight. Josh Dolan read a statement saying the agenda change had the optics of secrecy and that "lack of transparency equals lack of trust." "We want to thank you for making the right decision to end the flock contract," Dolan told the legislature.

The group urged the county attorney to begin drafting statutory or administrative language to give residents greater oversight of surveillance programs, referencing the ACLU's model legislation. The public speaker asked the legislature to review how its Public Safety Committee is constituted and to consider polls or other community-engagement tools so the public can weigh in on surveillance policy. No formal motion followed from the public comment period; legislators acknowledged the concerns and said they would take them under advisement.