Leon County commissioners were voting to accept $2 million in grants for the Leon County Sheriff’s Office during their July 14 meeting, but after numerous speakers stood before them, pleading that they take a stand against Flock Safety’s license plate readers, commissioners voted to deny all funding specific to the controversial surveillance systems.
Speakers across the board shared concerns over the data collection capabilities of this technology and how it’s encroaching upon people’s privacy.
One speaker said he’s noticed a bunch of Flock cameras going up around town, and another speaker said she’s even seen them on bike trails.
“I don’t see how those are necessary on bike trails, as bikes don’t have a license plate,” she said of the cameras. “I think they’re surveilling a lot more than they let on.”
Commissioner Christian Caban said he personally doesn’t like the cameras and considers them “an invasion of privacy” into people’s everyday lives.
“I love our law enforcement; however, I hate those damn cameras,” Caban said.
The commission voted to accept the rest of the grants that weren’t related to Flock cameras. Commissioner Nick Maddox explained to the public that these funds are pass-through funding to be distributed to other counties because Leon County is a regional law enforcement hub.
Maddox clarified that none of the grant dollars discussed Tuesday are going to be spent on Flock cameras in Leon County, and that more information about how the county can regulate these license plate readers will be discussed at length at the county’s next workshop.
The workshop was prompted by Caban, who previously asked staff to look into what kind of legal purview the county can have over the growing number of cameras in Leon County.
Pushback from speakers at the meeting echoes a growing sentiment across the state — and country — as more and more people grow leery of these surveillance tools.
Critics of the cameras say the digital trail that is tracked and stored on every driver by these cameras is unnecessary and raises a lot of serious legal questions about expectations of privacy.
And as nationwide controversies over the technology amass, many cities are starting to back out of deals with Flock Safety.
Commissioner Carolyn Cummings thanked residents for coming and offering their input.
“We’re here to listen to your concerns,” Cummings said. “I think you should feel good about the fact that we heard you and we’ve taken action in a positive manner to address your concerns.”
Elena Barrera can be reached at ebarrera@tallahassee.com. Follow her on X: @elenabarreraaa.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: County pulls plug on Flock camera grants amid surveillance fears
Reporting by Elena Barrera, Tallahassee Democrat / Tallahassee Democrat
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Elena Barrera, Tallahassee Democrat | USA TODAY Network
