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Residents press council to reject state-deployed 'Flock' ALPR cameras; town official says two cameras already installed
Summary
Residents urged the council to ban ALPR/Flock cameras citing privacy and past misuse by local police; the town administrator/public-safety director said two Flock cameras are deployed on Route 146 and proposed requiring written notification from state police before any further expansion.
Multiple residents urged the Town Council to reject Automatic License Plate Reader systems and a Flock camera rollout within town limits, saying the technology represents intrusive mass surveillance and alleging prior misuse by local law enforcement. "I ask this council to stand up for the residents of North Smithfield to reject any ALPR or surveillance drone requests that come before you," Anthony Soley told the council.
The administrator/public-safety director acknowledged that two Flock cameras have already been deployed on Route 146 (north and south) and said, in hindsight, he would not have agreed to their deployment. "At that point in time, I said, generally, no... In hindsight, knowing what I know now ... I would not have approved," he said. He said he will seek a formal written process with the Rhode Island State Police making clear that there should be no further expansion of state police Flock cameras in North Smithfield without official written notice to the town.
