Hayden Police Department terminating Flock contract, bagging cameras

The Hayden Police Department will terminate its contract with Flock and put plastic bags over its two cameras following a public hearing on automated license plate reader technology at the town council’s Thursday meeting. The decision comes less than a week after the Routt County Sheriff’s Office announced that it would be terminating its contract with Flock and was in the process of deactivating its cameras, and less than two weeks after Steamboat Springs Police Chief Mark Beckett ordered the immediate deactivation of all Flock cameras within city limits. Beckett’s decision was announced just one day after a packed, often tense public forum where he defended the technology as community members questioned privacy risks, data-sharing issues and potential misuse. In a roughly 30-minute presentation that largely paralleled many of the same arguments made by Beckett last month, Hayden Police Chief Scott Scurlock defended the cameras, underscoring the ways in which they help law enforcement officers solve crimes while recognizing the valid public concerns underpinning the controversy. Scurlock said that automated license plate readers passively log every license plate that passes in front of the camera so that the information is available in a search for a certain period of time. Through Flock data-sharing, officers are alerted to potential crimes; this data is stored for 30 days before it is wiped entirely. One of the Flock cameras in Hayden is located on U.S. Highway 40 near mile marker 106, said Scurlock, while the other is near the intersection of U.S. 40 and Routt County Road 27. The cameras cost the department $3,000 each per year, or $6,000 annually in total for the two cameras. He said of the approximately 788,000 police officers across the country, and the 7,000 law enforcement agencies that use automated license plate readers, there have only been around 200 known “incidents” involving abuse of such technology. “My professional recommendation is that we stick with (automated license plate reader) technologies,” he said. “However, I believe we should investigate new vendors to see what else is out there.” “Everybody around us has abandoned Flock for various reasons,” Scurlock added. Scurlock referred to a newly launched Flock “transparency portal” that went live in late August, which aims to provide further information and clarity around how the cameras are used by the Hayden Police Department. The portal is hosted by Flock Safety. Mayor Ryan Banks, following the presentation, said that while he trusts both Scurlock and Routt County Sheriff Doug Scherar, he questioned whether he “likes the idea” of Flock cameras and the overall prevalence of surveillance technology. The town council invited the public to both make comments and ask questions of Scurlock during the meeting, which between in-person and Zoom participants attracted about 50 attendees. The roughly one-dozen people who spoke were overwhelmingly opposed to Flock cameras. One councilor acknowledged the “really difficult decision” on the dais, but noted that, with the Thursday meeting seeing some of Hayden’s highest public turnout in recent years, “the community has spoken.” One commenter requested that the cameras not only be deactivated, but that plastic bags be put over them so residents know with certainty that their data is not being collected — a suggestion that Banks ultimately put forward as direction to Scurlock. Banks proposed that the Hayden Police Department terminate its contract with Flock, put bags over the cameras and direct Scurlock to see if there’s another system that’s “more closed.” While the town council did not take a formal vote, councilors generally agreed with Banks’ suggestion. Banks clarified that he does not necessarily want to “sever” the technology, referring to the “delicate balance” the town is trying to find between utilizing modern tools for effective police work and responding earnestly to local apprehension. Scurlock had also suggested to council prior to the Flock presentation that the town form a community police advisory commission, which would include local residents representing Hayden to provide feedback on public safety priorities, policies and emerging trends. If formed, commissioners would not have access to confidential or personnel records, explained Scurlock. The commission would virtually act as a bridge between the Hayden Police Department and the local community. Councilors seemed supportive of the request, and Scurlock said he would bring more formal language back to council at its next meeting on Thursday, Sept. 17.