The city of Flagstaff is putting together a citizen task force to review its agreement with a license plate reader company that is expanding across the country. Flagstaff’s contract with Flock Safety is under review amid suspicion from local residents about how the data its cameras collect is used.
Flock camera data has been used to solve felonies and violent crime in Flagstaff. But nationally the cameras have also been used by police to illegally share data with federal immigration agents, to stalk personal relationships and is considered a threat by rights groups like the ACLU. At Tuesday’s city council meeting, Flagstaff Mayor Becky Daggett said that she trusts police, "and at the same time, I have concerns about Flock’s conduct. And I’m wary of them and they’re past practices. They’ve earned the public’s suspicion," she said.
Dozens of people addressed the council. Some of those who spoke against the cameras were supportive of Flagstaff police but not Flock.
"How can we trust these AI cameras when they are put up without the consent of the people? How can we trust that our information is safe?" asked Flagstaff resident Alyssa Hughes.
Flock cameras and license plate readers recorded nearly a half million vehicles here in the last 30 days. Problems persist nationally. Police shared data with Homeland Security, sometimes illegally. A Kansas officer used the cameras to track his ex-girlfriend, and police in Texas tracked a woman who had a self-administered abortion. Sedona ended its Flock contract after a backlash. The Navajo Nation government supports using the cameras, and councilmembers have said they would help in remote parts of the tribal nation.
"My opinions on this issue are deeply rooted in the concerns about larger cultural issues in this country related to surveillance and personal privacy," Caitlin Hughes told the council. "Increased surveillance has historically played a key role in implementing totalitarian systems of governance by enabling the state to consistently monitor and control the population, suppress dissent to an approved narrative and maintain power through fear."
Coconino County Attorney Ammon Barker supported the cameras but said there is an opportunity for oversight.
"I believe this community is sophisticated enough to grapple with the tension between privacy and security without giving up either one completely," he told the council.
"I can’t help but think about the murder suspect who was arrested by the use of this technology. Or the threat to the hospital that was averted. Or the hit and run that was solved. The kidnapping that was solved. These are real events that happened in this community," he said.
The city is putting together a citizens’ task force to review its agreement. It’s reducing the number of days it keeps data from 30 to 14. Police will only share data with the Coconino County Sheriff's Office, NAU police and tribal police.
Councilwoman Miranda Sweet warned the city needs a policy.
"This isn’t the end, this will be coming back," she said. "Technology is here. We will be needing these policies in place."
-
Christmas tree permits for the Coconino National Forest go on sale starting at 8 a.m. on Friday. -
Stephen and Yurany Dexter, of Flagstaff, Arizona, said their 4-month-old daughter, Rose, had to be flown by air ambulance to a children’s hospital two hours from home and treated for several weeks this summer. -
Like much of the country, Flagstaff has embraced the pickleball craze. On Wednesday, the city opened eight new courts as part of a park improvement project that cost more than $2 million. -
Two Arizona counties have confirmed measles exposures at public places last week. The infected people visited Flagstaff and downtown Phoenix. -
The U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree stopped in Flagstaff on Friday night as part of its journey from Nevada to Washington, D.C.
