In a decisive move, Flagstaff has terminated its relationship with Flock Safety and will be removing all 32 of the city's automated license plate recognition cameras. This action comes after a unanimous City Council vote on Dec. 16, as reported by FOX 10 Phoenix. According to the same source, the decision emerged amid various attempts by the Flagstaff Police Department to alleviate privacy worries, such as shortening the data retention period and restricting database access purely to local agencies.
Despite these precautions, the council opted to deactivate the system, immediately following the vote. In a statement obtained by FOX 10 Phoenix, Flagstaff Mayor Becky Daggett stated, "First and foremost, it is no reflection on the Flagstaff Police Department... I think that all council members believe that this technology can be really useful for solving crimes. It's just that there are so many questions about the company Flock... that we thought 'Let's cancel it now and let's keep getting questions answered.'" In a move that was meant to address concerns, the police department had also banned using the technology for federal immigration enforcement, but the public's unease persisted.
The removal was a response not only to the technological and privacy concerns but also to a broader unease with mass surveillance and data weaponization as voiced by the public. According to a FOX 10 Phoenix interview, a local resident expressed, "This is not a question of trusting our police chief, it’s much bigger than Flagstaff. We do not support AI mass surveillance as the current federal administration is gathering and weaponizing data." Another resident, highlighting the potential drawbacks of the decision, said, "Without tools like this, I believe we will see more unsolved cases, more offenders who aren’t held accountable, and ultimately more crime."
Privacy issues extend beyond Flagstaff, as similar concerns have been raised in Tempe over their Flock Safety camera network. Residents and advocacy groups, including the ACLU, criticize the invasive data collection and sharing practices. Down in Tempe, which has a network of Flock Safety surveillance cameras, these groups fear the AI system's excessive collection and sharing of personal vehicle data, with both law enforcement and private entities, as reported by FOX 10 Phoenix. Meanwhile, following the decision, the Flagstaff Police Department is coordinating the process of removing the cameras, as 12 News confirms.
