Streetsboro City Council on Aug. 10 rejected the use of Flock cameras, with several council members objecting to their accuracy, effectiveness and potential misuse.
Typically mounted on roadside poles, automated license plate readers, in this case units provided by Flock Safety, capture the image of the rear of a vehicle and its license plate as it drives away. With permissions in place, the information can be shared by local and federal agencies.
In a 4-2 vote, only council members Jen Wagner and Steve Michniak supported the $63,000 contract with Flock Safety. Wagner raised the spectre of being on the receiving end of a call from a distraught victim or friend or relative of a victim, while Michniak said there is no way to escape information that is already shared through national networks.
”I think your phone gives you so much more data than a Flock camera, and if it’s being dumped every 30 days, if it actually is, and it's not being stolen somewhere, I could support that,” he said.
Putting in a final bid for the camera’s use, Streetsboro Police Chief Tricia Wain said they are a tool police can use to solve crimes. She acknowledged concerns about the cameras, but said officers who are found misusing them are being disciplined and terminated.
The cameras track vehicles along roadways, not people walking in parking lots or parks, she said.
Council Member Mike Lampa said most of the residents he’d heard from were opposed to Flock cameras. Despite pro and con arguments, he cited his personal concerns about their accuracy and effectiveness and said many cities are reconsidering their use. Privacy, accuracy and government oversight informed his decision to reject Streetsboro’s use of the cameras, he said.