Binghamton, New York, is asking whether the promise of safer streets is worth the tradeoff in privacy.
At its August 6 meeting, the town's city council passed a resolution asking Mayor Jared Kraham to drop Binghamton's contracts with Flock Safety, saying the privacy costs of automated license plate readers outweigh their value, according to WBNG.
What happened?
The resolution reportedly asks Kraham to terminate the city's Flock Safety agreements. Flock runs camera systems that automatically scan and record license plates.
In a Binghamton case, the cameras photographed a stolen car, which led to one arrest and also helped officers locate two missing teenagers. Police more generally use the technology to identify vehicles connected to investigations.
The resolution didn't dismiss every possible use of the cameras, noting they can serve legitimate law enforcement purposes. Still, council members said the same system can create an unsettling level of public monitoring and should come with stronger transparency and accountability.
City Council Majority Leader Rebecca Rathmell noted, per WBNG, "Over 80 municipalities across 28 states have terminated their automatic license plate reader contracts with Flock Safety in just the last 5 years."
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She added that those decisions have stemmed from concerns including "privacy infringement and warrantless surveillance concerns to unauthorized access by ICE and patterns of blatant discrimination."
Why is this concerning?
Residents are concerned about who and what may be tracking their everyday movements and sharing those actions without their knowledge.
Supporters of ending the contract argue that limiting surveillance could help build a healthier relationship between local government and the community.
On the other hand, families affected by crime may reasonably worry that removing a tool like this could slow response times or reduce leads for police.
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Communities often want both safety and privacy, and the challenge is creating rules that don't force residents to give up one to have the other.
What's being done?
The mayor's office will decide whether the Flock contract will be ended or continued.
The council's resolution suggests that if similar technology is used in the future, it should come with clearer guardrails.
"This City Council made one thing clear: the current terms of the City's contract with FLOCK do not serve the interest of our constituents," City Council President Michael Dundon said. "Binghamton residents should not be subject to surveillance anywhere they go. Public safety and constitutional rights are not mutually exclusive. Every American deserves due process."
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