Lowell Sun reported that DeFlock Lowell filed an Open Meeting Law complaint against the Lowell City Council over an Oct. 6 executive session. The group says the council brought back the city's Flock automatic license plate reader cameras in that closed session, weeks after it voted to suspend them.
What happened with Lowell's Flock cameras?
- Sept. 22: the council voted 6-5 in open session to suspend the cameras while it reviewed how the system is used and audited.
- Oct. 6: the council voted to enter executive session to discuss the cameras under the security devices exemption. According to the minutes, it adjourned at 11:00 p.m. without returning to open session.
- Oct. 27: InsideLowell reported that the council reinstated the cameras in that session, on condition that police not share data with other agencies or with Flock without city approval. No vote has been announced.
Are the cameras running again?
The Lowell Police Department's public Flock data shows 436 searches between Oct. 8 and Oct. 30. That suggests the cameras are in use, though the Sun reports it is unclear whether they work the same way as before.
Mayor Erik Gitschier and LPD Deputy Superintendent Mark LeBlanc declined to say what was discussed or decided in the executive session. Gitschier said the city solicitor will review whether the complaint is valid.
What changes for drivers?
This dispute concerns Lowell's own police cameras. The council voted in September to suspend them, and the reinstatement reported by InsideLowell has not been put to a public vote. Any change to those cameras would apply to Lowell's police system only.
It would not change cameras run by neighboring towns, the county, the state, or private businesses and HOAs. Nothing in the reporting says the cameras have stopped reading plates in Lowell. You can see where cameras are mapped on the camera map, and how plate readers work explains what a read and a search involve.
What happens next?
At the Oct. 27 meeting, the council passed two motions:
- A motion by Councilors Corey Robinson and John Descoteaux for a public LPD demonstration of the system passed unanimously.
- An amended motion by Councilor Sean McDonough asks the City Clerk's Office to prepare the executive session minutes before the Nov. 3 meeting, so councilors can review them and potentially vote to release them. It passed 8-2, with Descoteaux and Councilor Rita Mercier opposed.
City Solicitor Corey Williams said the council decides whether to release the minutes. He noted that common advice is to hold them back if the discussion will continue in a later executive session.
Residents with questions can ask the City Clerk whether the minutes will be voted on Nov. 3, and ask LPD for the written rules governing the cameras. Lowell's searches are listed in the LPD Transparency Portal, and you can find other published transparency records by agency. If you have photos or details of Lowell cameras, contribute them to the map.