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City officials explain differences between Flock and Red Speed cameras; staff point to restricted access and audits
Summary
Police and city staff described operational differences between Flock 24/7 cameras and Red Speed school‑zone cameras, emphasized restricted internal access, auditing, and said Red Speed systems only operate during school hours; commissioners pressed for transparency portals and public reporting.
Panama City police and staff addressed privacy and access concerns about automated cameras during a workshop discussion comparing Flock and Red Speed systems. Chief-level staff said Flock cameras run continuously but that local access is tightly limited to a small number of analysts and supervisors, and the agency is audited on use.
Deputy/Chief explained, "They have 2 totally different reasons... The Red Speed camera cannot work as a Flock camera. It is used for the violation of the speeding in the school zone only" and stressed that Red Speed cameras are active only during specified school‑zone windows. The police representative also told the commission that the in‑agency Flock access list is narrow and that recorded images are vehicle‑focused: "They see cars... It doesn't capture any personal data from that."
Red Speed and the city said reporting and transparency tools exist: staff noted a county/agency transparency portal offered by some vendors and the vendor said the relevant statute requires annual reporting on program statistics and fund use. Commissioners requested a public portal and regular reports showing tickets, warnings and how the city's share of fines is spent.
