Flagstaff asks residents to help design privacy policies as new tech takes hold

Flagstaff is asking residents to apply to serve on its new Technology Privacy Task Force. City officials say the task force is needed to stay ahead of a rapidly evolving technology landscape from cameras on city streets to drones in the air.

The city is looking for residents who want to advocate for civil liberties, or who are business owners, legal and IT experts or who are simply passionate about digital rights.

One of the technologies to come under scrutiny is the city’s contract for license plate readers from Flock Safety, the much disputed camera system agreement that the City Council opted to review after residents pushed back.

Fronteras Desk

Flagstaff wrestles with privacy versus security as Flock Safety camera contract is under review

Michel Marizco

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.

Flagstaff’s chief information officer, CJ Perry, said those cameras, drones analyzing flood terrain in the city and traffic cameras all need to have policies built around them.

“'What type of privacy and things do we need to put into place in relation to each of these different technologies in order to ensure that we’re meeting the core values of the community while also trying to be cutting edge?' is just one of the questions that need to be answered," Perry said.

Residents pushed back after the city hired Flock Safety without public discussion in June 2024.

"And there’s a lot of strong opinions on all sides of it as we really go through this and we want to capture all of those opinions and make sure that we come to a privacy policy that really makes sense," Perry said.

Applications are being taken until Dec. 5.