COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KRHD) — College Station residents oppose Flock camera contract renewal
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College Station city leaders are set to vote on renewing the city's contract with Flock, a license plate reader camera system, and some residents are urging them to walk away from the deal.
The issue has been a topic of debate in the community for the past six months. Several residents say the cameras, which scan and record license plates, amount to an invasion of privacy.
"I don't like them, to put it bluntly," John Hamilton, a local resident, said.
Ivan Svreck said he was troubled when the cameras began appearing in the area.
"I've known about them for a little while and then I was disappointed when I saw them starting to pop up around here. I figured it wasn't a thing that we do here in Brazos County," Svreck said.
Resident Ben Stillwell echoed those concerns.
"I don't like the idea of... having cameras surveilling me wherever I go, even if they are just reading license plates," Stillwell said.
Some residents also raised concerns about how the footage can be accessed and what guardrails exist around its use.
"Once the cameras are in place, it becomes very easy to change what they are used for," Duke Blaney, a local resident, said.
Svreck pointed to what he sees as an inconsistency in how the system is regulated compared to other forms of surveillance.
"The key difference here is that this system does not require warrants, but our cell phones and everything else does," Svreck said.
Blaney called on the city council to end the contract entirely and reject similar systems going forward.
"Vote to terminate the contract and also to vote against any other ALPR providers like Axion or that provide similar services in the future," Blaney said.
He also stressed the need for thoughtful policy if any surveillance technology is used.
"Public safety versus privacy is a very hot issue, and it requires a lot of well thought out policy to put things in place to make sure systems don't get abused and privacies aren't being trampled," Blaney said.
Residents are encouraged to attend the city council meeting and speak during public comment. The meeting will be held next Thursday at 3 p.m. in Council Chambers.
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