Troy City Council President Sue Steele said the city's bitter fight over Flock cameras is entering a new phase, with stricter rules potentially on the way and a lawsuit that could shut the program down altogether, Spectrum News reported.
At the center of the dispute is a question that could shape how much surveillance residents live with each day: How long should police be allowed to keep camera data?
What happened?
A bill aimed at placing new guardrails on Troy's Flock camera system is expected to come up for council consideration, a move Steele characterized as adding "safeguards."
Before advancing it, the council wants more information from the police department.
Steele said the measure is slated for the public safety committee, but additional analysis is still needed.
The central policy fight is over data retention — in other words, how long police should be permitted to hold material collected by the cameras.
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That debate follows months of conflict at City Hall, and a far broader national debate over Flock cameras, privacy, and surveillance data.
In 2026, after the City Council refused to fund Troy's Flock contract, Mayor Carmella Mantello declared a state of emergency; the council later responded by suing over that move.
Why does it matter?
How long surveillance data is stored has a major impact on residents' privacy.
Shorter retention windows can reduce the chances that large amounts of information about people's movements are kept for extended periods.
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Conversely, longer storage periods can give law enforcement broader access to historical data.
Rules on camera use and data retention policies affect everyone who lives, works, worships, protests, or travels through Troy.
Some limits are already part of the updated framework.
According to Spectrum News, a framework introduced in May would disallow use of the cameras for immigration enforcement or for monitoring conduct protected by the First Amendment.
What's being done?
The main action is the legislation under discussion.
Steele said the council is weighing possible limits on the system, with data retention serving as the community's main point of friction with police.
That framework would also require yearly audits of the camera program.
Separately, Steele said pending litigation could bring Troy's agreement with Flock to an end. So even as officials debate tighter rules, the contract itself may not survive.
The next steps are the public safety committee process and the legal fight that follows. Retention limits, audit requirements, and use restrictions remain at the center of the debate.
The standoff may ultimately come down to one unresolved issue.
"The legislation, as drafted, says 48 hours. The current policy of the police is they maintain they need 30 days," Steele explained.
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