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Vice Mayor McDonald says Fairview uses a closed police camera system, not the open 'Flock' network
Summary
Vice Mayor McDonald addressed resident concerns about Flock license‑plate readers, saying Fairview does not have Flock cameras under city control and that the city's single PD-owned camera (at Walmart) is a closed system limited to Fairview Police Department access.
Vice Mayor McDonald told the town hall that the city "does not have any of those [Flock cameras] in that we have control over," distinguishing the state or county installations from Fairview's equipment. He explained that Flock operates an open-access network that can be queried across jurisdictions, while the Fairview Police Department’s system is closed and limited to local PD access.
McDonald noted state right-of-way ownership on Highway 100 and Highway 96 limits the city's authority over certain camera installations on those corridors and advised residents who see such cameras on state thoroughfares to contact their state representative. He said the PD does have one camera at the Walmart that Fairview PD uses and that vehicle dash cameras are used to identify persons of interest, Amber Alerts and similar safety uses. McDonald said his understanding from the police chief was that the city’s contracted system had not experienced a data breach and is not open to outside jurisdictions.
