PROVIDENCE – The city recently announced that it will move ahead on deploying 25 license plate cameras, despite criticism and concerns from city councilors and civil liberties activists.
The Flock Safety camera system, which city officials in late July said will soon go into effect, was met with resistance by the City Council, with a majority of councilors signing onto a resolution asking the police department to pause the rollout while the council further reviews the system.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island Inc. also panned the technology, calling it “a grossly unregulated and deeply intrusive police surveillance system” marketed under the guise of increasing public safety.
“Their alleged support for accountability rings even more hollow in light of their opposition to the passage of any ordinance that would restrict the ways in which this surveillance technology can be used or that would establish enforceable penalties for its misuse,” the organization said.
Police have also downplayed the technology’s capabilities, the ACLU said, adding that the system gives police the ability to use a vehicle’s license plate number or other characteristics to “pull out any information about that vehicle’s movements over a lengthy period of time in any community where the cameras are being used.”
The system has been piloted or adopted in other communities, including Cranston, Woonsocket and Pawtucket. Last month, the Portsmouth Town Council voted against the system, which is proposed for use on the Mount Hope Bridge, the Newport Daily News reported.
Flock Safety, an Atlanta-based company, says the cameras effectively cut down on crimes such as vehicle theft, property crime and violence.
Jacquelyn Voghel is a PBN staff writer. You may reach her at Voghel@PBN.com.
Great idea. Hopefully, they’ll jack up the violation fees and start generating some real revenue.