The Akron Citizens Police Oversight Board will reconsider on Wednesday whether to ask the city to pause its Flock Safety license plate reader camera network while Independent Police Auditor Anthony Finnell audits the system, according to the Akron Beacon Journal.
The special meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 28 at 6 p.m. in the Akron City Council chambers, the Beacon Journal reported. It comes a week after the board voted 5-2 to table the pause recommendation, after members discussed their concerns and questions about the surveillance system.
In a parallel move, two City Council members introduced a public safety resolution on Oct. 26 to temporarily halt Flock activities during Finnell’s audit, according to the Beacon Journal. A draft oversight board letter asks the mayor’s office and the Akron Police Department to halt the automatic license plate reader system until the audit is complete, listing five key issues including council questions, public concerns, multiple lawsuits and local news reporting.
“For several months, Akronites from across the City have expressed their concern for these cameras during public comment periods,” the draft letter reads, as quoted by the Akron Beacon Journal. “It is untenable to continue to use the current Flock tool when so little has been shared with the legislative leadership of the City and with residents of our great city.”
The push for a pause follows months of growing concern, including that fired Akron police officer Davon Fields used Flock while on administrative leave and that outside agencies continued to access Akron’s Flock data despite attempts to restrict it, the Beacon Journal reported. The draft letter raises ethical and constitutional questions, says the city touts 145 Flock cameras with what it calls a stunning lack of public discourse, and accuses the city of failing to conduct an internal review.
City officials have defended the system with guardrails. Public Safety Chief Craig Morgan told City Council on Oct. 19 that there is no expectation of privacy on public roadways, that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement cannot directly access Akron Flock records, and that the city added filters in May to block outside searches tagged as immigration or abortion, according to comments reported by the Akron Beacon Journal. Mayor Shammas Malik told the Beacon Journal the city has implemented guardrails to prevent misuse.
What happens next rests with Wednesday evening’s vote: if the board revives the recommendation, the request goes to the mayor’s office and police department while Finnell’s audit continues, and council’s separate pause resolution remains pending before City Council.
Photo: Andre Carrotflower, CC BY-SA