Milford police chief announces Flock camera policy changes during public forum
More than 100 people attended a public forum in Milford over the city’s use of Flock license plate reader cameras, with many raising concerns about privacy, data collection and Fourth Amendment protections.
The debate over the technology is expected to continue as the city considers whether to pause and review its use of Flock cameras. Milford Mayor Richard Smith said a special Board of Alders meeting is scheduled for next Thursday to discuss the issue.
During the public forum, many speakers called for the cameras to be shut down completely. Others questioned how data collected by the cameras is stored, protected and used.
Sarah Wood, an organizer with DeFlock Milford, said she understands why police may want to use the technology but is concerned about how a private company could use the data.
“There is still nefarious actors that could slip in and hack the system, so we just want to know safeguards. We want to know our data is not being used and why are they uploading everybody’s data instead of those just on a hot list,” she said.
A Flock representative responded to some of the concerns raised during the forum. The company said it does not sell the data to anyone and provides audit logs intended to ensure the technology is not misused. Flock said it alerts police departments if there is suspicion of misuse.
The company also said federal courts have so far upheld the use of the cameras under the Fourth Amendment and that it will continue to follow the law. Flock said it supports guardrails established under Connecticut law governing how the data can be used.
“We believe that these tools should be used comprehensively and responsibly,” Flock senior public affairs director Trevor Chandler said. “This is powerful technology and it deserves strong regulation and we’ve supported that.”
During the forum, Milford Police Chief Keith Mello explained how the Flock cameras work and how their data can be used. Mello said he understood concerns about the technology and announced changes to the city’s policy.
Under the changes, stored data will be deleted after seven days instead of the 21 days mandated under state law. The city would also notify the public of any data breach and conduct a three-year review of the effectiveness of Flock cameras and create a subcommittee on the police commission that oversees the department devoted to license plate reader cameras.
The forum was extended to give everyone who wanted to speak an opportunity to weigh in extending to another hour.
The issue now moves to city officials. Smith said the special Board of Alders meeting next Thursday will focus on potentially pausing and reviewing the city’s use of the cameras.
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