CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. – The Franklin County commissioners have voted unanimously not to renew the county’s contract with Flock Safety, concluding that privacy concerns surrounding the company’s searchable vehicle database outweigh the benefits of continuing the agreement.
The decision comes a week after commissioners devoted a special evening meeting to the automated license plate reader system, hearing nearly two hours of testimony from Sheriff Ben Sites, District Attorney Ian Brink and members of the public.
Sites defended the cameras as an effective investigative tool that has helped authorities locate suspects, stolen vehicles and missing people.
Commissioners at this week’s meeting said that their objections are not primarily to cameras reading license plates, but rather Flock’s collection and retention of vehicle images – and the ability to search that information to reconstruct where a vehicle has traveled.
Commissioner John Flannery said he supports technology that can alert police when a vehicle connected to a crime passes a camera or help investigators determine where a wanted vehicle was last seen.
“I think that’s a good idea. I think it’s a great idea,” Flannery said.
What troubles him, he said, is the ability to search historical information on motorists who are not suspected of crimes.
“My fear is that somebody can go in, type my license plate number into that system, and tell that person where I’ve been the last seven days,” Flannery said. “That’s not anybody’s business.”
The county had already reduced its data-retention period from 30 days to seven days. Flannery said he had researched allegations about Flock and found some claims circulating about the technology were inaccurate, but also found documented instances of misuse elsewhere.
“Let’s be honest, it’s happening,” Flannery said. “It’s happening all around the country, and Flock’s got a really bad name right now in a lot of communities throughout this country.”
Flannery said his concerns do not reflect distrust of Sites, but at the same time, he won’t be sheriff forever.
“Ben Sites might not (always) be in that job,” he said. “We have to set a precedent.”
Commissioner Robert Ziobrowski said he had reservations when the Flock contract came before commissioners last year and initially sought to delay a decision until the board could get more information from Sites. He ultimately supported it.
“I’ve known Sheriff Sites for over 20 years, and I trust him,” Ziobrowski said. “I have no reason to believe he’s using Flock data in an inappropriate manner.”
Like Flannery, Ziobrowski said his concern now is what could happen to information collected by the system in the future and the potential liability to county taxpayers if it is misused.
He compared the issue to safeguards established for personal medical information and said state or federal lawmakers should establish rules governing the collection, retention and sharing of vehicle-location data.
Commission Chairman Dean Horst also focused on Flock’s database, saying the information collected by the system has become an issue of public trust.
The commissioners then voted 3-0 not to renew the contract under its current structure. The existing agreement is expected to expire in approximately 30 days.
The vote followed weeks of public criticism of the system. At the Aug. 19 meeting, most residents who spoke opposed the cameras, citing privacy, surveillance and data-sharing concerns, while Sites and other law enforcement officials defended their value in criminal investigations.
Sites told commissioners at that meeting that Flock had assisted local law enforcement in dozens of cases, including investigations involving homicide, sexual assault, stolen vehicles, wanted suspects and missing juveniles. He argued that technology has become increasingly important as law enforcement agencies contend with limited staffing and resources.
Sites responded to Wednesday’s vote by saying he was disappointed, and warned that abandoning the system could make it more difficult for law enforcement to quickly identify and apprehend dangerous offenders.
Chief Deputy Daniel P. Foy then approached the commissioners with Moose, his K-9 partner, and briefly defended the value of technology in helping law enforcement locate dangerous suspects, expressing regret over its loss as a crime-fighting tool.
The vote ends the county’s current Flock agreement but does not necessarily close the door on automated license plate readers. Commissioners indicated they could support technology that alerts police to vehicles connected with crimes without maintaining a searchable history of motorists’ movements.
