Framingham police will not renew Flock Safety contract
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The Framingham Police Department has decided not to renew its contract with Flock Safety, ending the city’s use of the company’s automated license plate reader camera system after months of public debate and resident advocacy.<br>The city’s access to the Flock system will be shut off June 30, when the current contract expires, and the cameras will be decommissioned, Framingham Police Department Administrative Lt. Rachel Mickens said in a statement to Boston.com Wednesday.<br>“We will continue to balance technology and public safety needs with transparency, accountability, and the privacy concerns of the community,” Mickens wrote.<br>Advertisement:
The decision marks a significant victory for residents who spent months urging city officials to abandon the surveillance technology, arguing that it threatens privacy and civil liberties while lacking sufficient oversight, according to Kate Merritt-O’Toole, a member of Framingham Fights Back. The group is a community organization that describes itself as a place for Framingham residents to "organize and mobilize to protect democracy and our neighbors."<br>“We’ll take our wins where we can get them,” she said. “We’re happy that we’re going to have some more time to educate [officials] on how the technology is evolving and what a lot of these vendors are planning to do with this data.”<br>Advertisement:
Framingham Fights Back received confirmation Monday evening that the contract would not be renewed, Samantha McGarry, another member of the group, told Boston.com.<br>Mickens said Flock will coordinate with the city to schedule the removal of the cameras.<br>In a Flock Safety “Security Claims & Facts” sheet, the company says the system is “relentlessly focused on data integrity and security,” utilizes strict encryption, and prevents access by foreign entities. Critics, however, argue the system enables mass surveillance by collecting and storing information about residents’ movements.<br>“There is no evidence of inappropriate access or sharing of data,” Mayor Charlie Sisitsky said in an initial statement to Boston.com, adding that his administration and the police department remain “committed to ensuring any public safety technology is utilized in a manner that is transparent and accountable.”<br>A spokesperson for the mayor later sent a revised statement that read, in full: “Framingham Police Department’s contract with Flock Safety will not be renewed at this time.”<br>"We are also committed to addressing concerns raised by community members and elected officials," Sisitsky added. "Any future decision regarding the Flock Safety program will be made following additional discussions with the Police Chief and City Solicitor."<br>Advertisement:
Framingham is the latest Massachusetts community to move away from Flock’s technology. Cambridge, Watertown, and neighboring Natick have also ended contracts with the company, citing concerns over data sharing and oversight.<br>“I personally support the ending of the Flock contract and having them on our streets,” Framingham City Council Chair George King wrote in a statement to Boston.com. “However, people need to remember they are everywhere. Stores like Home Depot and Lowe’s have them in their parking lots, so they are coming off our streets but not disappearing by any means.”<br>Flock Safety did not respond to requests for comment.<br>Framingham residents spent months advocating against Flock cameras<br>Since February, Framingham residents have urged city officials not to renew the contract. Residents raised those concerns through public meetings, letters to city officials, and testimony before the city council, Merritt-O’Toole said.<br>“At three to four meetings that I’ve attended, there hasn’t been one single Framingham resident that stood up in favor of using automatic license plate readers,” she said.<br>Advocates began organizing after sharing concerns not only about the cameras themselves, but also about how data collected by the system could be shared and used, Merritt-O’Toole said.<br>Advertisement:
“They’re such an egregious violation of our First and Fourth Amendment rights,” she said. The Fourth Amendment protects against "unreasonable searches and seizures."<br>She also pointed to concerns about Flock’s participation in data-sharing networks that can be accessed by federal immigration authorities and other agencies. While Flock Safety states on its website that it does not collaborate with ICE, various advocates maintain the system has been used to target individuals.<br>“There’s so many loopholes around that,” said Merritt-O’Toole. “This data, who knows where it’s going, and...