Public-Comment Script

Spoken — at the podium (~2 min)

"Good evening. My name is [Your Name], and I live at [street / ward] here in [Town].

I'm here about the Flock automated license-plate cameras our town is using. I want to be clear up front — I care about public safety, and I respect our officers. This isn't about being against the police.

It's about this: these cameras photograph and log every car that drives by — not suspects, everyone. Mine, yours, our neighbors'. That builds a searchable record of where ordinary, innocent people go, and it's kept for [30] days. I'd ask three simple questions the public deserves answered:

One — who can search this data? Just our department, or is it shared with state, federal, or out-of-state agencies?
Two — is every search logged with a name, a time, and a reason that the public can audit?
Three — what's our contract cost, and when does it come up for renewal?

I'm asking Council to bring this into the open — put clear limits in writing: cap how long data is kept, ban sharing it without a warrant, require a public audit log, and no expansion without a vote. Let the people of [Town] decide how we're watched. Thank you."

Written — email to the clerk / council

To the [Town] [City/Village] Council:

I'm a resident writing about the town's use of Flock Safety automated license-plate readers. These systems log the movements of every driver, not just suspects, and retain that data. I respect our police; my concern is accountability and privacy for law-abiding residents.

I respectfully ask Council to: (1) publicly disclose the contract cost, term, and renewal date; (2) adopt a written policy that limits data retention, prohibits sharing without a warrant or court order, and requires an auditable log of every search; and (3) commit to no expansion of the system without a public vote. If these guardrails can't be guaranteed, I ask Council to end the contract and remove the cameras.

Thank you for your service and consideration.
[Your Name], [address / ward]