Boynton Beach will not be renewing its $60,000 software contract with Flock Safety, though the city's police department plans to continue operating the existing Flock cameras. The Palm Beach Post reported that city commissioners voted unanimously on September 16 to let the contract expire on November 18.
Police Chief Joe DeGiulio informed commissioners that other surveillance software used by the department was easier to manage than Flock's system. The decision to end the software contract was not due to controversies surrounding Flock Safety, but rather user experience.
What does this mean for drivers in Boynton Beach?
Drivers in Boynton Beach will continue to be monitored by Flock cameras. However, the police department is implementing new restrictions on how data from these cameras is accessed and retained.
- Case Number Required: Officers must now have a case number related to an ongoing investigation before searching a license plate number in the database.
- Data Retention: Data collected by the cameras will be kept for seven days, a reduction from the previous 30-day period.
- Data Sharing: The department plans to restrict how it shares Flock data with other law enforcement agencies.
- Personnel Access: Officials are also reviewing how many department personnel can access surveillance data and for which types of crimes.
These new rules align with recommendations Flock Safety announced in August. The police department will present a final draft of its policy to commissioners on October 6. These changes follow reports of misuse of Flock data by police departments in other areas.
Are there other changes to surveillance in Boynton Beach?
Yes, Boynton Beach has made other adjustments to its surveillance agreements recently. In June, commissioners approved canceling a $100,000 annual contract with Flock for a drone that was never delivered. Instead of a refund, Flock provided a credit to the city for future bills.
The city also entered into a new agreement to purchase three first-responder drones from Axon, an Arizona-based company, for over $2.2 million between 2027 and 2034. This vote was 4-1.
For more information on how license plate readers work and where they are located, you can visit our /learn page or check our live camera map at /map.
Boynton Beach police will now access public surveillance camera feeds through software from other companies, including Avigilon, Motorola, and Axon Enterprise. The city had hoped Flock's system would be a unified platform for various camera feeds, but found it "significantly more time-consuming and difficult" to use, according to a staff report. The department will present a final draft of its Flock policy on October 6.