Resident urges Lincoln to study and limit 'Flock' camera data and predictive policing tools

Samuel Kennedy Smith told the council he is concerned about data collection and predictive-policing uses of 'Flock' camera systems and urged the town to establish oversight or ban certain functions.

"Either ban this crap or assert oversight," Smith said, saying he had provided packets including Wired reporting and draft ordinances and urging the council to set up a working group to examine contracts and data-sharing provisions. He told the council that some municipalities had already limited dissemination or drafted ordinances in response to concerns about how vendor platforms share and use license-plate and location data.

Smith asked the clerk to place his materials into the public record or on an upcoming agenda and urged the council to read the reporting and to consider prohibitions on predictive-policing functions and clearer contract language to protect residents' data.