LINK nky reported that the Edgewood City Council voted unanimously on Monday to remove Flock Safety devices from the city. Council Member Scott Spille did not attend and did not vote.
Edgewood contracted with Flock in September of last year for four devices, according to city documents cited in the report. The cameras are already covered and out of use, but they have not been taken down.
What happens to Edgewood's Flock cameras now?
- The vote directs the city's legal department to negotiate with Flock to end the contract.
- Once the contract ends, Flock is expected to remove the devices.
- The report gives no date for the negotiation or the removal.
Edgewood announced in September that it was pausing the program. At an early October meeting, Mayor John Link said the city had already covered the devices with black bags, before any formal action on the contract. He also said the cameras will be up temporarily until they are taken down.
Why did the council vote to remove them?
Council members pointed to constitutional questions and to how collected data is shared. Council Member Jeff Schreiver made the motion, saying he could not get past the constitutionality of the cameras.
Several members said they felt misled by the company. Council Member Joe Messmer said nearby cities removing their devices had cut the benefit of tracking activity over long distances. In his words, "The effectiveness is kind of gone."
Council Member Bridget Grady Spears said the city went into the contract in good faith. She said safety concerns still deserve weighing case by case.
Does this change plate readers near me?
The vote covers Edgewood's own Flock contract. A city that ends its contract removes that agency's cameras. Plate readers run by neighboring cities, the county, the state, businesses or homeowner associations are not part of this contract, and this vote does not touch them.
The report mentions similar controversies involving other companies in other cities, but it does not describe any other Edgewood camera.
Questions to ask your city
Check the camera map to see mapped cameras near you, and read how plate readers work before raising the issue at a council meeting. Useful questions include who holds the contract, how long the data is kept, and who can search it.
The next step in Edgewood is the contract negotiation and then removal. The report gives no date for either, so residents should watch for the city's announcement of when the devices come down.