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Auburn joins wave of Mass. communities dropping Flock cameras

  • Posted by The Burbs (Sponsor: North End Motor Sales) Aug 25 - Filed in News - #Auburn  #Auburn Police Department  #Flock  - 1,070 views

    AUBURN — The Auburn Police Department has severed its relationship with Flock Safety and deactivated all of the company’s cameras in town, police announced overnight Monday.

    The department attributed the decision to a “contractual defect” but did not provide further details about the problem or say how many cameras had been operating in Auburn.

    Auburn becomes at least the 17th Massachusetts community to end or suspend its use of Flock cameras amid growing scrutiny of the company’s automated license plate reader technology.

    Other communities that have canceled contracts, declined to renew them or suspended use of the cameras include Grafton, Douglas, Attleboro, Cambridge, East Bridgewater, Easthampton, Framingham, Greenfield, Hopkinton, Littleton, Natick, New Bedford, Salem, Stoughton Stow and Watertown.

    Douglas police announced Monday that they would deactivate the town’s 7 cameras immediately, saying the system had been an effective investigative tool but had become divisive. Grafton and East Bridgewater recently ended their relationships with Flock after residents raised concerns about privacy, data access, oversight and possible misuse.

    Hopkinton officials said a legal review found statutory deficiencies that made the town’s agreement with Flock unlawful under Massachusetts law. New Bedford temporarily suspended its system while reviewing its use following allegations that a police officer improperly used the technology to track a former partner.

    Flock cameras photograph passing vehicles and record information including license plate numbers, vehicle descriptions, locations and times. Police departments use the system to search for vehicles connected to crimes, missing persons and other investigations.

    Critics have raised concerns about warrantless tracking, access to the information by other agencies and the potential for misuse. Police departments have credited the technology with helping investigators locate stolen vehicles, identify suspects and solve serious crimes.

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