Residents present petition to curb Flock license‑plate readers, ask commissioners to require public hearings

A group of residents presented a petition asking the Board of County Commissioners to remove active Flock license‑plate readers and to adopt an ordinance requiring public hearings before any county purchase or testing of mass‑surveillance technology. Deborah Campbell said the petition gathered more than 200 signatures and urged the board to "protect our privacy and halt warrantless mass surveillance in our county."

Campbell and other speakers described a map of devices and said there are roughly "160 active Flock license plate readers" and urged the board to align county policy with constitutional protections and to require warrants or oversight. "We are asking the board to take two actions: 1) remove the 160 plus active Flock systems operating on public property; and 2) pass a local ordinance requiring public hearings and an explicit vote before any mass surveillance tech can ever be tested or bought with public funds," the petitioner said. Several subsequent speakers added that the county should audit surveillance contract expenditures and clarify who has access to data and retention policies.

County staff did not adopt an immediate policy change at the meeting. Commissioners acknowledged the concerns and requested staff follow up; the meeting record shows the petition and audit request entered the public record for further consideration.