Flock Camera Contract
At a glance
- What: Article 22, a citizen petition by Vera Karine to bar the town from Flock Safety contracts or pilots and to require Flock to return data.
- Where it stands: the contract was already canceled for contractual defects and the cameras removed at Flock's expense; the article remains on the Special Town Meeting - October 27, 2026 warrant and is non-binding by the petitioner's description.
- Police position: R. Scott Mills said no money was spent and there is no plan to revisit Flock or widespread plate readers; two traffic cars carry older plate readers.
Concerns
- Petitioner: privacy; Flock vehicle fingerprints and search capabilities; more than 40 Massachusetts communities have ended or rejected Flock.
- A member objected to a line allowing town expense if the vendor does not pay; Todd Kirrane said removal was at Flock's expense.
Police response
- Chief Mills said the cameras recovered a couple of stolen vehicles and helped verify a victim's statement but were up too short a time to measure results; detectives might ask other departments case by case.
Discussion time
About 7 minutes across 1 meeting (from transcript timestamps; approximate).
| Meeting | Minutes |
|---|---|
| 2026-10-13 - Select Board | 7 |
Log
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2026-10-19 - Pre-Town Meeting - Article 22 presented; chief described limited results and no plans to return.
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2026-10-13 - Select Board - Article 22: board voted on a motion to not recommend (tally not clearly audible; earlier vote was a 2-2 split). Concerns: the article names a vendor rather than the practice; town counsel's letter says Town Meeting may request but not require action.
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2026-10-21 - Page created.
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2026-08-17 - 2026-08-17 - Select Board: Eric Richard requested written clarification from the Town Manager, Chief Procurement Officer, and Town Counsel regarding the Flock Safety grant and contract, including contract term, procurement documentation, and the automatic renewal provision. He said his comments were about municipal process and transparency, not allegations of misconduct.
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2026-09-14 - 2026-09-14 - Select Board: Alan Rafferty thanked a resident for raising Flock concerns and commented on the importance of public comment and transparency. Eric Richards also raised transparency questions in the Flock procurement process during public comments.
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2026-09-28 - 2026-09-28 - Select Board: Steve Chambers moved to defer Article 22 to the petitioner, seconded by Anne Cavanaugh; the motion failed 2-2, with Cavanaugh and Chambers in favor and Kirrane and Rufli opposed. Kirrane then moved to recommend approval, seconded by Rufli; that motion also failed 2-2. Rufli moved to hold the article, seconded by Kirrane, and it passed 3-1 with Chambers opposed.
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2026-09-23 - 2026-09-23 - Finance Committee: Finance Committee took no position on Article 22; Chief Mills said the cameras are disconnected with removal pending.