Lebanon remains in Flock limbo
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Lebanon's 20 Flock Safety cameras will remain covered and turned off as City Council is still divided over the surveillance technology.
Why it matters: The city has thousands of dollars tied up in a system it can't agree on using or getting rid of.
Driving the news: Council voted 4-3 Tuesday against terminating its contract.
- Mayor Mark Messer and Council members Matt Sellers and Brad Lamoreaux supported termination on Tuesday.
- Vice Mayor Scott Norris and members Mike Cope, Kristen Eggers and Jen Harper opposed it.
Flashback: City Council voted Sept. 8 to pause the camera program and place bags over all 20 cameras after Flock failed to respond to questions from the city, WVXU reported.
What they're saying: "The majority of council seems to be uncomfortable having these devices in service as well as uncomfortable with terminating the relationship," Messer tells Axios. "Your guess is as good as mine when it comes to what that means."
- Messer says ending the contract would cost the city roughly $60,000 in prepaid fees. He argues litigation over Flock would likely cost more.
The other side: Opponents of termination said the cameras could help police solve crimes and have other benefits, like locating missing people.
- Cope stressed that Lebanon's cams don't use facial recognition technology.
Yes, but: Most residents who spoke Tuesday oppose having Flock in Lebanon, citing concerns related to privacy, data retention and government overreach.
- Messer echoed those concerns: "We do not trust the company or their business practices, and we do not believe that our citizens should be subject to warrantless searches or mass surveillance."
What's next: Council unanimously directed staff to revisit license plate reader policies, potentially including data deletion requirements.
- Messer says it's unclear when, or if, council will revisit the issue.