Flock Safety has publicly responded to Plymouth’s effort to end its camera service, saying it is coordinating equipment removal with the Minnesota city. Police had disconnected the devices after the council canceled the contract. A nearby municipality, Dayton, also reported problems stopping maintenance work and having equipment removed after suspending its own program.
Flock Safety, a US supplier of camera-based vehicle surveillance services, says it is arranging removal of its equipment with Plymouth, a city in Minnesota. Spokesperson Andrew Smith said the company respected the city’s decision to stop using the service. His response was added to The Verge’s November 1 coverage. The city’s council had voted in September to end the contract, but the cameras remained mounted after the decision.[1]
Police chief Eric Fadden said staff had first suspended the city’s user accounts and notified Flock. Formal cancellation followed by mail and email after consultation with the city attorney. With no corporate or legal reply for more than a week, Fadden ordered power cords disconnected so the devices would stop operating and collecting plate images.[1], [2]
Nearby Dayton reported that Flock accepted its cancellation but said removing the hardware could take 60 days. The municipality said two cameras were nevertheless reconnected without permission. Its account describes police learning of a maintenance order on September 17, followed the next day by instructions that the program was on hold and work should stop. Dayton said the instructions were disregarded. Flock’s new Plymouth response describes coordination with that customer, without announcing a completed removal.[1]
