SK Town Council votes to end Flock deal, take down cameras
South Kingstown's Town Council voted unanimously to terminate its Flock contract and take the cameras down, roughly a year into using them. About six cameras had been approved. Councilwoman Deb Bergner put the trade plainly: "if we can protect a hundred people versus solve one crime, I'd rather do that at this point." The decision followed resident pressure, questions put directly to Flock representatives, and a letter from the ACLU of Rhode Island arguing the privacy safeguards were insufficient.
From the reporting
- The vote was unanimous, covering both ending the contract and removing the hardware.
- Roughly six cameras had been approved under the agreement.
- Bergner cited reading that people can access the data and do things the town would not want, referring to reporting on misuse elsewhere.
- Published the same day as the state police expansion. Rhode Island grew and shrank on 30 July, which is why both are on this desk.
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