Residents urge council to end Flock ALPR contract, cite privacy and security risks

Multiple residents speaking during the March 26 public‑comment period urged the Lexington‑Fayette Urban County Council to cancel the city’s contract with Flock Safety, the vendor providing automated license‑plate readers (ALPRs), and to study the program’s effectiveness and security risks.

Speakers described Flock units as AI‑powered cameras that generate persistent travel records and "vehicle fingerprints," and they questioned whether the public safety benefit justifies privacy and security exposure. Isaac Clooney (District 3) said the devices produce long‑term logs of movements and argued the city should make Lexington an "ALPR‑free city." He told council: "This is a massive privacy issue that affects Lexington residents, everywhere."

Others raised research and legal concerns. Emily (Finley) Van Hook cited lawsuits against other cities and warned that Lexington could face similar litigation costs; Dylan Bourne and Willow Jordan cited a public independent security audit and research that documented vulnerabilities and data‑access risks. Cassidy Child urged council to invest instead in road and infrastructure safety.

What residents asked for: Public commenters requested that council pause further ALPR deployment, require warrants or stricter controls on data access, commission an independent assessment comparing outcomes to peer communities, and consider terminating the contract. Several speakers urged the council to prioritize transparency and to provide metrics showing a crime‑reduction benefit commensurate with the program’s cost and risk.

Provenance: Public comments on ALPR/Flock cameras (topic intro SEG 4251; topic finish SEG 4578).