CT Mirror reported that South Windsor's council voted on Oct. 5 to stop using Flock Safety's license plate readers immediately and have police arrange their removal within 60 days. The Bristol Edition republished the report. South Windsor is at least the sixth Connecticut community to end or suspend plate reader use this year.
What did South Windsor vote to do?
The resolution directs Police Chief Kristian Lindstrom to cease use right away and arrange removal within 60 days. The vote split along party lines, with every Democrat in favor and every Republican opposed. Democrats won a 6-3 council majority last year.
The cameras went up quietly. The police chief signed a memorandum of understanding with Flock on March 30, 2023. In November of that year, the sergeant over the investigations unit signed a one-year lease for six Falcon cameras at $19,400, and two more were added later. The eight cameras cover four locations with bidirectional coverage. Lindstrom briefed the council in executive session and no public vote was needed or sought. The cameras did not become operational until April 2025.
Is this happening in other Connecticut towns?
Yes. Windsor's council voted 8-1 to turn off its cameras and renegotiate with Flock. In June, a committee motion to turn them back on under new rules failed 5-4, and the cameras began coming down in September. Milford's Board of Aldermen voted Oct. 5 to pause its use while a technology committee studies it. Killingworth, Ledyard and Newtown have also ended or suspended use this year.
Secure Justice, a nonprofit that tracks surveillance, reported that Flock lost more than 100 contracts, mainly for its plate readers, in August and a similar number in September. CT Mirror does not say how many of those were in Connecticut.
What rules are coming for Connecticut?
Gov. Ned Lamont asked municipalities on Aug. 7 to hold off on new Flock installations. He also asked the Police Officers Standards and Training Council, POST, to recommend standards. Its 59-page report, issued last month, recommends:
- Limiting retention of plate reader and other data to seven days. A law that took effect Oct. 1 sets a 21-day limit.
- Two-step logins for access to the data
- Tracking usage by case number
- Monthly audits
- Standards for how many cameras a department may deploy, and the reasons for each location
CT Mirror says the report is likely to be the basis for legislation drafted after the General Assembly returns in January.
How many plate readers are in Connecticut?
Three-quarters of Connecticut law enforcement agencies report deploying 1,564 fixed plate readers in total. Flock is the state's biggest supplier, with about 40% of them.
What changes for drivers?
South Windsor's Flock cameras are set to come down under the resolution. The vote does not change plate readers in other towns, and CT Mirror does not say whether any other Connecticut town will follow.
CT Mirror notes that plate readers are a separate system from red-light and speed cameras, which ticket drivers for specific acts. To see where plate readers are near you, check the camera map. For how the systems work, read how plate readers work.
What happens next?
South Windsor has 60 days from the Oct. 5 vote to remove its cameras. The General Assembly returns in January, when the POST recommendations are likely to become draft legislation.