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ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — Asheville City Council voted 5–2 Tuesday to authorize the city manager to end the city’s contract with Flock Safety, which provides AI-powered license plate reader cameras.
Residents spoke during the council meeting Tuesday evening, with some citing their concerns with privacy and surveillance. Asheville currently has 11 Flock cameras, which will now be removed.
The approved resolution that calls for the city manager to terminate Asheville’s Flock contract reads, in part: “City employees are to suspend all access, searching, and sharing of data collected through the Flock technology, while ensuring existing data is handled according to legal and retention requirements. A comprehensive review will be conducted, and policy recommendations regarding the future use, oversight, and privacy safeguards of such surveillance technology will be developed.”
This vote comes about one week after Mayor Esther Manheimer proposed ending the contract that provides license plate readers.
“After careful review and consultation, I have determined it would not be enough to call for a moratorium on the use of Flock technology, because our contract does not allow for the removal of the technology unless we terminate the contract,” the mayor said, in part, in a statement.
Flock cameras capture vehicle information, including license plates, that can later be searched by law enforcement. Questions and concerns by Asheville residents have largely involved what happens to that information, how it is protected and who can access it.
Flock is also not Asheville’s only potential option for license plate reader technology. Manheimer said the city’s existing contract with Axon, the company that provides Asheville police with body and dash cameras, also includes stationary license plate readers.
The increased installation and usage of surveillance technology have led to largely negative reactions not only in Asheville, but nationwide.
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