KOMU 8 reported that the Columbia City Council will hold a public hearing on its Flock Safety cameras Monday, Nov. 9, at 6 p.m. in council chambers at 701 E. Broadway. The council asked for the hearing in September and wants residents' views before the Flock contract comes up for renewal in March.
The contract covers automated license plate recognition cameras and live-view intersection cameras. According to Flock's Transparency Portal, Columbia's network spans 114 cameras that scanned more than 877,000 unique license plates in the last 30 days.
Will Columbia renew its Flock contract?
KOMU 8 doesn't say how the council will vote. The council is expected to discuss residents' feedback at Monday's hearing. Columbia Missourian reporting, as KOMU 8 cites it, says council members Valerie Carroll, Sharon Geuea Jones and Christina Hartman opposed the cameras and sought further regulation.
Key dates and numbers:
- Public hearing: Monday, Nov. 9, at 6 p.m.
- Closed session: 4 p.m. Monday, on active investigations, security measures and litigation
- BeHeard comments: 66 responses as of 3 p.m. Saturday
- Contract renewal: March
What has the city paid for Flock?
The 2024 agreement lists two contracts. The Police Department's contract cost $539,400, and the Parks and Recreation Department's cost $45,450, for a total of $584,850. The city entered the agreement in October 2024.
Does the hearing change anything for drivers yet?
Nothing in the article describes camera operations changing before the March renewal. Gov. Mike Kehoe's September executive order already applies in Missouri. It bans selling plate data, requires permanent deletion within 30 days and prohibits artificial intelligence facial recognition with plate readers. The Department of Public Safety confirmed the Columbia Police Department was in compliance with that order. That order comes from the state, not from the council's decision.
KOMU 8 doesn't discuss cameras run by neighboring cities, the county, businesses or HOAs, so this briefing doesn't cover them either. To see where plate readers are mapped near you, check the camera map.
Police Lt. Lance Bollinger said the department shares information only within the state and does not give data directly to the federal government. He also said the system is set up to block immigration-related searches. Those are the department's statements, and the article doesn't independently check them.
What should residents ask before Monday?
Questions worth bringing to the hearing include how long the city keeps plate data, who can run searches, and whether audit results are public. Ask how the city checks the sharing limits Bollinger described. How plate readers work gives background on the technology before the meeting.
The next event is Monday's hearing at 6 p.m. The council is expected to review BeHeard feedback and receive a presentation from the Police Department on the technology. The contract comes up for renewal in March.