Iowa City Press-Citizen reported that North Liberty's council voted 4-1 on Oct. 13 to table a motion to end the city's contract with Flock Safety. The motion came from Councilor Paul Park, who was the only member to vote against tabling it.
When will North Liberty decide on its Flock contract?
The council will take the question up again at its Oct. 27 meeting. Until then, the city's cameras keep running.
- North Liberty operates 12 cameras.
- The cameras cost the city $36,000 a year.
- The council tabled the motion 4-1 on Oct. 13.
- The next decision point is the Oct. 27 meeting.
The city attorney will review the contract in the meantime. Councilors plan to read public feedback and Flock Safety information over the next two weeks and consult the police department. The report does not say how the council will vote on Oct. 27.
What changed in North Liberty's Flock use?
Police Chief Diane Venenga said public feedback from a September presentation led to changes in the city's policy and several key settings. The changes listed in the report include:
- Outside Iowa agencies face limits on searches.
- Partner agencies must have a transparency portal and a policy explaining how the system is used.
- Data sharing dropped from 60 agencies to 28.
- Plate photos are kept for seven days, down from 28.
- Police audit all searches every three months for improper use.
- Data sharing with the federal government is turned off.
Venenga said any law enforcement agency can still ask about a plate number if it has a legal purpose. The city's Flock Transparency Portal shows three uses in the last 30 days, the most recent for a hit and run.
What changes for drivers?
If the council ends the contract, the city's own 12 cameras are the ones affected. Nothing changes on Oct. 13 itself, since the vote only delayed the decision. The report says Coralville voted in February to remove its own cameras, which is a separate city's decision.
A North Liberty vote does not change cameras run by neighboring cities, the county, the state, businesses or HOAs. The University of Iowa Police Department also has several cameras in Iowa City, and this contract does not cover them. To see where cameras are mapped near you, check the camera map, and for background on how these systems work, read how plate readers work. Published transparency records for other agencies are on the agencies page.
The next concrete step is the council's Oct. 27 meeting, where the Flock contract is due back for a vote.