Newark council committee debates use of Flock Safety cameras
NEWARK ? The Flock Safety cameras are either a key law enforcement tool that helps catch criminals or an invasion of privacy that collects data on local travelers.
Or both. It depends on whom you ask.
The debate in Newark City Council Service Committee on Monday night brought various opinions, but the committee voted 5-0 to allow the city to enter into a 2-year contract with Flock Safety without competitive bidding for the purchase of the system and cameras.
The resolution moves to the full council, which will have two readings of the resolution before possibly voting on Nov. 14. Flock Safety has recommended 26 cameras for Newark.
Newark Safety Director Tim Hickman said the value of the cameras have already been demonstrated locally.
“Ironically, just this past weekend, the police department received a shots fired call and they had a description of the vehicle, but that was it," Hickman said. "They contacted Heath PD. Heath PD checked their Flock system and they said that car just went through our jurisdiction on (Ohio) 79 South, and they found the vehicle and the person. It was the shooter on 30th Street. So, it works. There’s living proof.”
The camera system uses automated license plate reader technology, snapping images that are run through a national crime database. Police can be immediately alerted if a stolen car passes a camera.
Initial funding for the system and cameras will come from a state grant of $128,400. The cameras cost $2,850 each for the first year and $2,500 per camera after that.
Council members Beth Bline and Jonathan Lang said they had concerns about the system and Councilman Doug Marmie expressed his reservations two weeks ago when the committee rejected legislation putting regulations on the Newark Police Department's installation and use of the system.
Lang said, “I think it’s important we take a minute to reflect whether this is the step we want to take as a community, going down the path of monitoring our people in such a way so we can go back and check everywhere someone’s been. I would urge the committee not to support this.”
Councilman Cheri Hottinger responded, “They’re not going to track everywhere you’ve been. It’s only where the cameras are located. They’re tracking you if you pass by a camera and we won’t have a camera in every single intersection in the city.”
Lang said he worries Flock could profit from the data they obtain from the Newark cameras.
"They’re not going to sell our data directly, but I do think the contract reads in such a way that they can take the data and create other commercial offerings that use that data and they will profit off of that," Lang said.
Councilman Spencer Barker said it's too late to prevent that type of information from being collected and used. The Ohio Department of Transportation is one example, he said.
“ODOT already does this," Barker said. "They have traffic counts and traffic cameras that they provide to any citizen. ODOT is already providing people with ‘Where’s the best places for commercial traffic?’ in every municipality in Ohio. It’s already happening.”
Tricia Moore, the city law director, said Flock will not be allowed to sell Newark's data, or use it in any way identifying Newark. The company will only use the information to improve their own services and programs, she said.
"They can’t sell agency data or aggregate data on Newark, Ohio, but they can use information made anonymous," Moore said. "But the information they use, you will not know where they got it from.”
A general description of a vehicle can also be searched in the Flock Safety system database, such as the color, make, or model of the vehicle. Other identifiers such as window or bumper stickers or even front or rear racks can also be searched, with the system returning information such as the time that the vehicle in question had passed the Flock camera.
Newark will keep its data for 30 days.
Bline said her constituents have told her they fear a loss of privacy and view it as government going too far,
“I received a lot of feedback from citizens on this and they have a lot of questions," Bline said. "They feel somewhat negative about it. Many citizens feel like it’s a slippery slope and government overreach and an invasion of privacy. They feel like the controls are too loose."
Council members who support the cameras said there is no expectation of privacy on public streets.
“There is a misconception of a right to privacy," Councilman Jeff Rath said. "There is no right to privacy outside of your home.”
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This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Newark council debates installation of Flock safety cameras
