She made clear that the technology should never be used for traffic violations or for other non-emergency stops.
That scaled-back proposal passed 4-3, with Scaman again the deciding vote. Scaman, who also had cast the tie-breaking vote to table the measure two weeks earlier, then proposed an alternate plan for eight cameras, subject to reviews of usage of the data by two village panels, the Civic Information Systems Commission and the Citizens Police Oversight Committee. Ultimately, the board voted 4-3 against the police department-backed proposal on its agenda for 20 Flock cameras at a cost of $112,500, with Village President Vicki Scaman breaking the tie. Instead, the cameras solely help solve crimes, and an ongoing board goal is to prevent crime in southwest Oak Park, which has seen a spike in crime. Trustee Susan Buchanan stressed that a misperception in the community is that Flock’s cameras prevent crime, when there is no such evidence. Several trustees remained staunchly opposed to the cameras. And one of the greatest indications of future experience is to look at past experience, and the past experience of Flock in this community has been that it has been an incredibly useful tool and investigative measure for our police.” So we actually don’t have to even guess what the impact is going to be on this community - we already know. “He also made it very clear that there have been zero instances of misuse or mishandling of such data. We again note our deep appreciation for the Portsmouth Town Council’s approach to this issue and look forward to working with other municipalities to curb this dangerous surveillance in our state.“The police chief has already cited crime stats that verify Flock’s proven use in solving and in apprehending, arresting and in recovering stolen vehicles with the use of Flock data,” she said. We are hopeful that Portsmouth’s decision will encourage other municipalities to carefully reconsider any plans they may have to use this invasive technology against its residents.
As we indicated in our testimony to the Council, the severe privacy implications, the potential for infringement on First Amendment rights, the lack of transparency surrounding the capabilities of the technology, and the absence of meaningful legal safeguards to hold Flock Safety and municipal law enforcement departments accountable in making use of the surveillance technology all point to the need to reject it without robust substantive statutory safeguards in place. The ACLU of RI has been engaged in an ongoing effort to halt the widespread use of these cameras across Rhode Island since August of 2021. We sincerely thank the members of the Council for reopening the issue, for recognizing the harmful implications of this expansive surveillance technology, and for putting the civil liberties of their residents at the forefront of their decision. The Town Council’s vote represents a huge win for privacy rights. ACLU of RI Policy Associate Hannah Stern issued the following statement today in response to the vote: Last night, the Portsmouth Town Council unanimously voted to rescind its prior support for the implementation of Flock Safety surveillance camera systems in the town.
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