The Observer Today reported that residents of Fredonia are objecting to Flock cameras installed in the village by the Chautauqua County district attorney's office. District Attorney Jason Schmidt plans to answer their concerns at the Fredonia Village Board meeting on Monday. For background on how these readers work, see how plate readers work.
Who installed the Fredonia cameras?
Schmidt confirmed that his department installed the Flock products. His office received a state grant that paid for nine Flock license plate readers:
- Seven are on private property in the Fredonia and Pomfret area.
- One is in Dunkirk, on public property, with the Department of Development's consent.
- The Observer Today does not say where the ninth reader is.
His office also received funding for a Flock digital camera on village property. Schmidt said Mayor Michael Ferguson approved it.
What did residents tell the legislature?
At Wednesday's Chautauqua County Legislature meeting, Pomfret Councilman Mike Lee opposed the cameras. He called them "a dragnet mass surveillance tool." Fredonia Trustee Christine Cruz-Keefe said she has concerns about privacy and transparency, and two other Fredonia residents also spoke against them.
What changes for drivers?
The Observer Today does not say whether any of these readers will be moved or removed. Schmidt's comments cover the readers his office helped fund. He said other municipalities may have their own plate readers or other cameras, but his office did not fund them.
Dunkirk has eight more cameras, installed by DFT and monitored by city police in a closed system. Schmidt said his office helped fund them because the city ran out of money when it came time to install them.
Schmidt also said one Flock camera at Chautauqua Institution helped capture an alleged kidnapper, and that the products help police and prosecutors solve other crimes. The Observer Today does not say how many crimes or which ones.
Check the camera map to see which readers are mapped near you. Schmidt's Monday appearance before the Fredonia Village Board is the next event the article names. The Observer Today does not say what time the meeting starts or what he will propose.