Canceling a Flock Safety contract and getting the cameras taken down turn out to be two different things. Three cities, in Minnesota and Tennessee, have described the gap in recent weeks, according to local reporting and city statements.
Plymouth, Minnesota: the chief pulled the plugs
Plymouth’s City Council voted at its Sept. 22 meeting to end its Flock license plate reader contract, The Drive reported. The next morning, police suspended all Plymouth user accounts and notified Flock. The city then sent a formal cancellation letter by mail and email after consulting its city attorney’s office.
According to Police Chief Eric Fadden, Flock’s corporate office and legal department did not reply, though the city had some contact with a local Flock representative. After more than a week without an answer, Fadden directed staff to unplug the cameras’ power cords so they could not function or record plates. The Drive’s author checked two Plymouth cameras and found the cords unplugged.
As of The Drive’s Oct. 23 report, Flock had not told the city when it would remove the hardware, and Fadden said the city was still asking for a timeline. Flock is a subscription service, and Flock installs and supplies the cameras, which remain its property. The Drive said Flock did not respond to its questions about the cancellation process.
Dayton, Minnesota: two cameras came back
The City of Dayton said on Facebook, as reported by FOX 9 on Sept. 30, that its police department learned on Sept. 17 that Flock had submitted a maintenance work order, which put a camera back into service. On Sept. 18, the city told Flock the program was on hold and no work orders should be completed. City officials said those instructions were not followed. After checking other locations, the city found a second camera reinstalled without its knowledge. Dayton said both cameras would be removed promptly.
FOX 9 said it reached out to Flock and had not received a response, and that it is not known why the cameras were reinstalled.
Collegedale, Tennessee: garbage bags
Collegedale’s commissioners voted unanimously to end the city’s Flock contract. About a month later, the city covered its five city-owned Flock cameras with black garbage bags, WTVC reported on Oct. 12. Vice Mayor Tonya Sadler said leaders worried the cameras could still be collecting data even though police no longer had access. Police Chief Jack Sapp said he did not know whether the cameras were still scanning. Officials said the police department no longer uses or has access to Flock or any other plate reader vendor system.
WTVC reported that Flock had not told the city whether or when it would remove the hardware, and that the city reportedly paid $500 per camera for removal. The city also said private entities within its limits may have their own Flock arrangements, which it cannot speak for.
What to check before canceling
Before a council votes to cancel, somebody should find out who owns the hardware, how long removal takes, whether the cameras keep collecting after police lose access, and whether the vendor can still complete maintenance orders on a canceled account. Dayton learned that last one when a camera reappeared. Local reports do not show the terms of these contracts, so those answers would have to come from the contracts themselves, which are public records in many places.
When a city cancels and the cameras stay on the pole, who decides whether they stay plugged in: the city that stopped paying, or the company that still owns the hardware?
Flock has not publicly addressed these specific accounts in the reports cited here. This story will be updated if the company responds.
Sources: The Drive; FOX 9; WTVC NewsChannel 9.