Carefree town council pulls Flock cameras

By Zev Black
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Following public concerns throughout the country, Carefree town council members unanimously voted to remove all four Flock cameras in the area.

“They have raised legitimate concerns about privacy, oversight and public trust,” Carefree Mayor John Crane said during the council’s monthly meeting. “What was intended as a public safety tool, we have come to realize has some unintentional, unintended consequences which we’re all familiar about.”

Many cities in the Valley have also decided to remove the cameras, including Cave Creek, Surprise and Tempe.

The cameras, which are automated license plate readers, capture vehicle and license plate information as cars drive past.

Carefree has previously reached an agreement with Flock for four cameras. According to Kristen Krey, Carefree’s town administrator, the contract ensures the system is “intended for crime prevention and prosecution, bonafide investigations and evidence gathered for law enforcement purposes.”

She said Crane wanted to bring this discussion before the council for two reasons: the cameras have received attention across the country and two of them in Carefree were vandalized, rendering them unusable.

“They were presented as a tool that could assist law enforcement in identifying vehicles and gathering evidence following an incident,” Krey said. “At that time in our community, we were dealing with concerns about traffic safety and several serious incidents.”

Both Krey and Crane spoke with the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office about certain safeguards the cameras have.

“MCSO administers the law enforcement use of the cameras,” Krey said. “The town does not use the Flock system. Town staff has never logged into the system and we do not conduct searches in the system... This system is not a system where town employees are sitting in town hall trafficking and looking at license plates. We don’t have that access and I don’t believe we ever should.”

She added that law enforcement must provide information when using the system to ensure security. She believes the conversations with MCSO showed her that there are safeguards for the Flock cameras.

Councilmember Sheila Amoroso said the biggest issue she hears from residents is other people’s speed while driving. These cameras can help mitigate that.

That being said, she still sees the dangers of it.

“I think in good hands, this is very helpful in solving crime,” Amoroso said. “But, in bad hands, it really is intrusive and it really doesn’t respect people’s private property rights. Now that we have more information about abuses in the system, I would say that it’s time to bring privacy back to the forefront here and take them out.”

Councilmember Colleen Rose-Scurti echoed that sentiment.

“I think until they can come up with a system that is regulated and there’s more control, we really shouldn’t even have it and we shouldn’t be looking to use it.”

Councilmember Lon Johnson said he was in a leadership class where he heard stories from Scottsdale Assistant Chief of Police Rich Slavin who told success stories of the camera. But even that wasn’t enough to sway him.

“There is value, but I think with what we’ve heard and where we’re at, it’s prudent to put a pause on this and see where we go next,” he said. “I think there is a lot to it and it may be a very good tool down the road, but I think it’s a good decision.”

The town’s contract with Flock includes a paragraph that allows for termination of the program. They can give Flock a 30 day notice to remove the cameras.

Reporter Zev Black can be reached at zblack@iniusa.org. Please submit comments at yourvalley.net/letters or email them to AzOpinions@iniusa.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines.