Huntington, West Virginia, Splits Over Flock License Plate Camera Deal as Residents Collect Signatures

The city council of Huntington, West Virginia, voted 6-4 on July 13 to approve resolutions allowing Mayor Patrick Farrell to sign a contract with the US company Flock, after more than seven hours of debate. Flock's system uses artificial intelligence to read vehicle license plates automatically, and police can search not only their own cameras but also those of other agencies that have joined its network. Some residents object to the surveillance risks and are now collecting signatures to send the question to voters.

The mayor's case

Farrell said Flock cameras helped locate the suspect in the killing of 33-year-old Jackie Harper, which happened less than a week before the meeting. He said the technology also helped identify a suspect earlier in the year in the killing of a middle school basketball coach and his brother, a city worker. He also pointed to an unsolved case from more than 20 years ago, in which four teenagers were killed on their prom night. He said he got the idea from talking with other mayors, but acknowledged he had not spoken with any mayor whose city had canceled a Flock contract.

Residents' objections

Dozens of people addressed the council. They warned of damage to privacy and possible misuse of the recordings. Some speakers read passages from George Orwell's novel 1984 after 2AM. Several councilmembers said the contract's wording did not adequately protect the city from lawsuits. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) says Flock's safeguards fall short, and agencies elsewhere in the US have reportedly seen officers use the system to track former partners.

Signature drive

The Huntington Community Action Group (HCAG) had collected 1,600 signatures by mid-September and is aiming for 4,000. About 2,700 signatures, or at least 10 percent of registered voters, are needed to force a council vote on the proposal. The ballot initiative would void the Flock contract and bar the city from adopting a competing service. If the council rejects or amends it, the question would go to voters within a year.