Residents and councilors press city on Flock Safety cameras, request police chief briefing

Public commenters and some councilors used the first public-comment period to press the City of Beacon for more information about Flock Safety cameras the community said are now deployed in town.

"Beacon has 6 flock cameras, and I want everyone to be fully aware of their capabilities and what is at risk with them," said Avelina Eric Simone, a 15-year-old resident who spoke to the council about the cameras' potential to track license plates and other data. Yvonne Carruthers, representing the Beacon Bicycle Coalition, said she was surprised to learn the city now had six cameras and asked why two were added after an earlier two-year contract that began in 2023.

City staff and councilors responded that the city’s systems are configured to limit external access and that the locally controlled devices are license-plate readers rather than facial-recognition cameras. "They are license plate, readers, not the other model," said a city official who described the cameras' operational limits and pointed listeners to an FAQ posted on the Beacon Police Department website. Another councilor said staff have compiled a detailed list of questions for Chief Figlia and hoped the chief would respond publicly soon.

Multiple speakers urged the council to weigh privacy protections carefully and to include the public in any decisions about surveillance. Council members encouraged residents to review the FAQ and said they would invite the police chief — and potentially County representatives — to present the technical and policy details at a future meeting.