Constituents Return to Discuss Flock at Millcreek Meeting

Aaron

As municipalities across the country end their contracts with Flock, constituents return to share their concerns about the cameras at the Millcreek Mall.

Constituents from Millcreek Township and throughout Erie County came to speak at the Millcreek Township Board of Supervisors meeting on July 28 about the Flock Safety cameras still operating at the Millcreek Mall. The township passed a resolution in June to allow residents from other municipalities in the county to speak publicly at meetings. 

The contract between Cafaro, the company that owns the Millcreek Mall, and Flock expires on Nov. 1 of this year. Millcreek township licensed the contract and Millcreek Police Department oversees the database. Constituents raised concerns about Flock's security and cited examples of municipalities ending their contracts with the company nationwide. 

The Los Angeles Police Department allowed its contract with Flock to expire in July, pointing to possible privacy and security issues. Monroe County, Indiana ended its contract with Flock in July too, a year before its expiration date. Dayton, Ohio, ended its contract after uncovering over 7,000 searches related to immigration coming from outside agencies.

"It doesn't really matter how many policies are in place, safeguards, who happens to be in charge today," Erie resident Christina Wawrowski said. "Every community thinks that this won't happen until it does." Some residents, including Wawrowski, requested that the supervisors take action to cancel the Flock contract and to draft an ordinance to prevent more AI-powered surveillance technology in the township. 

Alice Edwards, a Millcreek resident for 34 years, urged: "we should be absolutely scrupulous in our collaborations and in the tools that we are using in law enforcement to create trust in our community." 

Other constituents brought up police officers reportedly using the technology to stalk previous romantic partners and track current ones. An officer in Milwaukee resigned after being charged for misconduct after allegedly searching his partner's license plate and his partner's ex nearly 180 times in two months. 

Concerns with Flock are bipartisan. Republican and Democratic lawmakers alike have sounded the alarm over AI-powered surveillance. U.S. Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA) shared on his social media that the cameras log approximately 20 billion vehicle scans per month, calling this practice "mass collection and surveillance." 

"No true American that I know supports this level of overreach," Erie resident Julia Jacobs said. "Democrat, Republican, whatever you identify with, this is unconstitutional and we demand change." 

I spoke to Supervisor Kim Clear after the meeting adjourned. "Safety comes in different forms, making sure we're keeping all people safe from a mass surveillance system and also from being victims of a crime. There's a place where we can do both," Clear said.