Flock Automated License Plate Readers
At a glance
- What: Charlton Police operate Flock Safety automated license plate reader (ALPR) cameras (4 fixed units, 4 more contracted but on hold).
- Where it stands: the non-binding Article 15 passed the October 19 Special Town Meeting 245-56. It asks the Select Board to deactivate the cameras, end contracts, stop expansion, delete Charlton data and hold a public review before future use. It is advisory only.
- Next: the Select Board has a placeholder on its October 27 agenda to deliberate on the result.
The petition
- A citizens' petition led by Michelle Chalmers (160+ signatures) asks the town to discontinue Flock, stop the expansion, and prevent auto-renewal.
- The binding petition was withdrawn on legal advice; a non-binding petition is Article 15 on the October 19 Special Town Meeting warrant.
Status
- The Select Board tabled the matter on September 22 (no decision).
- Police held public information sessions October 14-15.
- A public records request by the petitioner was reported still unfulfilled on September 22.
Town meeting debate (October 19, 2026)
- Support: privacy and constitutional concerns, network sharing with 1,100+ agencies, published error rates elsewhere, security vulnerabilities, misuse cases in other states, and the point that a camera platform can change capabilities without another vote. Speakers stressed the vote is not anti-police.
- Opposition: the system is run by accountable local police, problems can be addressed by security and proof requirements, and ending it would lose a crime-fighting tool.
- Debate ended by a voice vote; no amendments were offered.
Sources
- 2026-10-19 - Special Town Meeting (vote counts and discussion)
- Select Board Pre-Town Meeting - October 19, 2026 (citizen guide with the warrant text)
Discussion time
About 208 minutes across 5 meetings (from transcript timestamps; approximate).
| Meeting | Minutes |
|---|---|
| 2026-10-19 - Special Town Meeting | 21 |
| 2026-10-14 - Flock Presentation | 113 |
| 2026-10-13 - Select Board Meeting | 4 |
| 2026-09-22 - Select Board Meeting | 62 |
| 2026-09-08 - Select Board Meeting | 8 |
Log
2026-10-27 — 2026-10-27 - Select Board
- On the agenda as an action item (use of license plate readers), following the October 19 advisory vote; outcome not yet recorded.
2026-10-19 — 2026-10-19 - Special Town Meeting
Article 15 (non-binding) adopted 245-56 after about 21 minutes of debate; ten residents spoke, nine in favor.
2026-10-14 — 2026-10-14 - Flock Presentation
Anthony Gribbons and Flock representative Carl Bock presented the program: 4 fixed solar cameras, ~$3,000/camera/year from the police budget, 4 more cameras contracted but on hold, 30-day auto-delete, plate-only sharing approved individually (~1,109 agreements), blocked immigration and reproductive-health searches, monthly manual audits plus AI-assist flagging. Residents pressed on facial-recognition integration, breach history, federal/ICE access, sharing scale, and other towns dropping Flock; live search demo given. Captions are ASR ("Charlton" often rendered as Charleston/Chelmsford) and end mid-sentence at 113:14.
2026-10-13 — 2026-10-13 - Select Board Meeting
Resident Christopher Merlo asked the board to commit to an October 27 deliberation and vote on the town meeting result; the board agreed to a placeholder agenda item. Police info sessions announced for October 14 (6 pm) and October 15 (3 pm) at the Senior Center.
2026-09-22 — 2026-09-22 - Select Board Meeting
Heard roughly four residents opposed, with Daniel Dowd, Lt. Gribbons (ASR variant) and board members Steve and Mike defending the program (30-day retention, case-number requirement added within the last month, sharing by individual agency agreement). Petitioner asked to discontinue Flock, halt the 4 additional cameras, and prevent auto-renewal. A motion to take no action until after education sessions was replaced by a motion to table, which passed; demo/education sessions to be arranged before the October 19 Town Meeting. Non-binding petition stays on the warrant (Article 15).
2026-09-08 — 2026-09-08 - Select Board Meeting
Michelle Chalmers presented petitions (~160 signatures each). The binding petition was withdrawn after town counsel said the decision belongs to the board; the non-binding resolution was kept for town meeting. She asked for no expansion or renewal pending public discussion and a records/legal review (including procurement compliance), and mentioned that the Southbridge chief reportedly dropped Flock. Board voted to place Flock on the September 22 agenda.