Flock Continues to Fly Over Millcreek Township
Calls for transparency, contract amendments concern citizens throughout Erie County
Tensions ran high at the Millcreek Supervisors Meeting on April 28, as many constituents came to speak on the Flock cameras installed at the Millcreek Mall. Questions remained as attendees called into question Millcreek Township's transparency about the process.
During the meeting, two Flock spokesmen held a presentation about their License Plate Readers (LPRs). In some segments, it read as a sales pitch, with phrases such as: "shaping a safer future, together" and "built with privacy in mind" included on the presentation slides. Afterwards constituents asked the Flock representatives questions. "Who has access to the data collected by the LPRs?" was a repeated concern during the session.
The representatives explained that although the Millcreek Mall is considered the customer, the Millcreek Police Department (MPD) is the only entity that has access to the data, and that the data can only be shared with other law enforcement agencies if MPD chooses to do so.
Constituents also asked about the possibility of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) or ICE being able to access the data. "You have to have an account to even attempt to engage in a sharing relationship. The Department of Homeland Security and all of its subsidiaries, including ICE, do not have contracts or accounts with us," Kerry McCormack, Flock's public relations manager for the East Coast, said.
Supervisor Kim Clear discussed this concern with me the next day, saying that if DHS or ICE were to ever gain access to the mall's camera data, she would "personally call for" the MPD to no longer use the data and set forth limitations to prevent those federal agencies from accessing it.
Later on in the meeting, constituents expressed frustration when the supervisors locked down comments to Millcreek residents and taxpayers only. Since residents of the City of Erie and other townships use the mall, some attendees saw this move as silencing people who would be affected. "I understand that taxpayers take precedence, but the Millcreek Mall … has a huge impact on Erie County and I feel like they should have a voice in this," Millcreek resident Julie Hirt said.
"Millcreek Township follows the state statute when it comes to the Sunshine Act," Clear said on a phone call. The section of the Sunshine Act that refers to public participation states that municipalities must provide an opportunity for residents and/or taxpayers to comment.
The lack of clarity in the process of approving and installing the cameras was another cause for concern. "The Flock cameras at the mall do not belong to the township. The costs associated with the Flock cameras at the mall were paid by the mall directly to Flock Safety. No township funds were used to pay for the costs associated with the cameras," Supervisor Jim Bock announced.
Millcreek resident Candy Horm, asked about a recorded Supervisors Meeting on Nov. 11, 2025, which conflicts with Bock's statement. During the meeting, the supervisors discussed the township paying for the cameras with a reimbursement from Cafaro (the property management company that owns the mall) for cost of operations and an additional $3,250 for installation. "Do we believe the video or do we believe what you say now?"
On Dec. 8, 2025 Clear signed off on an invoice from Flock for five cameras with a total cost of $18,250 in which MPD was listed as the customer. Email exchanges between Flock representatives and MPD obtained by Right to Know requests show the process leading up to the signed invoice. In an email thread from Nov. 25, Capt. Donald Kucenski expressed concern about Millcreek paying upfront "due to end-of-year budget limits." An account executive from Flock Safety replied to Kucenski that same day saying that he spoke with Millcreek Police Chief Carter Mook and that Flock did not expect payment before the beginning of the new year.
I followed up with Cafaro and Supervisor Kim Clear the day after the meeting to try and make sense of the timeline. On April 29, I spoke to Director of Corporate Communications at Cafaro Joe Bell, who said that the mall reimbursed the township and that the township would be responsible for any repair costs. This information reflects the contract discussed in the Nov. 11 meeting and the invoice signed on Dec. 8 but conflicts with public statements, including Supervisor Bock's during the most recent meeting.
"That was the original agreement," Supervisor Kim Clear told me during a phone call the evening of April 29. She explained that after the contract was signed in November, the mall eventually decided to pay Flock Safety directly instead of reimbursing the township.
Clear said the township will most likely be amending the contact during the May 12 Supervisor Meeting to reflect the actual method of payment. I confirmed with Clear that the township wouldn't pay for potential repairs to the cameras either.
"I am willing to speak with anyone from Millcreek Township or anywhere else if they have concerns about anything," Clear said.
Alana Sabol can be reached at alana@eriereader.com
