Massachusetts.- East Bridgewater, Douglas and Auburn are moving to end their use of Flock Safety automated license plate reader cameras, with the three Massachusetts communities announcing decisions within days of one another.
In East Bridgewater, Police Chief Michael Jenkins announced August 21 that the police department will terminate its contract with Flock Safety following a review prompted by concerns from community members.
The department had recently begun the process of adding four Flock automated license plate reader cameras in town. One camera was installed, but the system had not become fully operational when Jenkins paused the project to allow for further review and public discussion.
The department said it has not identified any misuse of the system or its data by an East Bridgewater police officer or employee.
East Bridgewater police said the review considered concerns raised locally and nationally about privacy, data access, oversight, safeguards and the potential for misuse. After considering those concerns and the community response, Jenkins determined that terminating the contract would be in the town’s best interest.
“ALPR technology can be a valuable public safety tool, and we believed this system could help our officers investigate crimes and locate people in danger,” Jenkins said. “However, any technology we use must have the confidence of the community. Residents have raised legitimate questions about privacy, access to data, oversight and the safeguards needed to prevent misuse. After listening to those concerns and taking a closer look at the issue, I believe ending our agreement with Flock is the right decision for East Bridgewater.”
The department will work with Flock Safety to terminate the agreement and remove the camera that has already been installed.
In Douglas, the police department announced August 24 that it was discontinuing the use of Flock cameras in town and would deactivate all department accounts and cameras effective immediately.
Douglas police said the Flock system had been an effective investigative tool and had been instrumental in helping the department solve several serious crimes. However, the department said that, given the divisive atmosphere surrounding its use, deactivating the system was the appropriate decision at this time.
Auburn police announced August 25 that the department had severed its relationship with Flock because of a contractual defect.
“All cameras in town have been deactivated at this time,” the Auburn Police Department said.
The three decisions come as other Massachusetts communities have also taken action involving Flock cameras.
Grafton police began deactivating 12 Flock cameras on August 21, while Hopkinton has moved to terminate its Flock contract. Littleton has disabled its cameras and moved toward removing them, and Stow has ended its relationship with Flock and removed its remaining camera.
Other communities, including Lynn and New Bedford, have restricted or temporarily suspended use of their systems while reviewing concerns involving searches and potential misuse.
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