With a 5-3 vote, Oklahoma City Council decided to renew its contract with Flock Safety to operate their controversial Automatic License Plate Reader cameras for a third consecutive year.
Mayor David Holt voted “yes” on the renewal, as did council members Katrina Avers, Bradley Carter, Todd Stone and Matthew Hinkle. Ward 8 Councilman Mark Stonecipher was absent from the meeting. Ward 2 Councilman James Cooper, Ward 6 Councilwoman JoBeth Hamon and Ward 7 Councilman Camal Pennington voted not to renew the contract.
Prior to the vote, OKCPD Chief Ron Bacy delivered a presentation to the City Council attempting to address the public’s concerns over the ALPR system. He stated that the department is opting out of Flock’s national database and is opting into a new feature provided by the company to only retain data for seven days as opposed to the current 30 days, unless there is an evidentiary need to retain data for longer, which can be determined on a case-by-case basis.
Nearly 30 residents and local activists signed up for public comment; all of them opposed the contract’s renewal, citing everything from Constitutional and civil liberties concerns to concerns over the crime-prevention efficacy of the program and the national outcry over similar contracts with Flock across the United States.
The renewed contract pays Flock Safety $270,000 through June 30, 2027 to continue to operate 90 cameras across the metro.