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Abington Township ditches Flock cameras over privacy concerns
Abington Township commissioners voted to replace the police department's license plate reader cameras due to data security concerns with its current provider, Flock Safety.
ABINTGON TWP., Pa. - Abington Township commissioners voted on Thursday to replace the township's Flock Safety cameras with a new system due to security and privacy concerns surrounding Flock.
Privacy, surveillance concerns
What they're saying:
The Board of Commissioners held a meeting on Thursday, ultimately voting to move on from Flock after a lengthy conversation with local police and residents expressing their concerns about privacy issues and possible misuse of surveillance technology.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Abington Township will hold vote to replace Flock camera system after privacy concerns
One resident calling into Thursday's meeting on Zoom called the surveillance camera companies "part of a scary, ever-expanding surveillance state that is tracking the every move of ordinary citizens without warrants or probable cause."
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The body-worn video captured by a Georgia police officer showing the rescue of a 10-year-old Florida boy from a truck during a traffic stop was just released.
Abington Township Police Chief Patrick Molloy acknowledged the community's and the department's concerns over Flock's data policies.
Police say surveillance cameras helping stop crime
Abington Police say surveillance cameras have played a role in solving crimes in the township recently, including a South American burglary ring.
"We would not have made the arrest and broken up this ring without the information we derived from Flock," Molloy said.
Local perspective:
Ultimately, the board voted to replace the three-camera Flock system with two new cameras from Axon.
Officials say the exact location of the two new cameras will not be revealed, but that they'll be placed in high-crime areas in the township. Both cameras, however, can also be moved if need be.
Molloy told FOX 29 that Axon's system doesn't give them the same concerns as Flock's.
"The storage of the data is locked down," Molloy said. "Where in Flock, there were breaches, and that gave us a lot of concerns."
Flock Safety currently operates three cameras in Abington Township. That contract is set to expire in 2028, though Chief Molloy says the department is working with the township solicitor to see whether the township can exit the contract before then because of data leaks.
The Source: Information in this story is from community comment during an Abbington Township Board of Commissioners meeting discussing the town's contract with Flock Safety, as well as an interview with Abbington Township Police Department Chief Patrick Molloy.