UNION TOWNSHIP, Oh. — The conversation and concerns surrounding Automated License Plate Readers, or ALPRs, continue across the Tri-State, this time in Union Township.
Watch to see Union Township's police chief address Flock concerns ahead of next week's town hall:
The township announced last week that the Board of Township Trustees' upcoming work session will serve as a town hall to discuss Flock cameras and other ALPRs. The town hall is scheduled for Sept. 21 at 7 p.m. inside the Union Township Civic Center.
On Sept. 8, multiple residents shared their concerns about Flock cameras across the township with the trustees.
“We’re setting ourselves up for a lot of illegal issues and a lot of illegal searches," resident Jason Steeber said.
“There have been tons of positive benefits, but I don’t know if they outweigh the negatives," another person said.
Another resident who spoke during the latest township trustee meeting was Kyle Kirker, who shared his concerns and his hope to learn more from officials and local law enforcement on how Flock cameras are managed.
“Just really looking forward to understanding better what safeguards do we have, and we shouldn’t be afraid to make adjustments if we need to," Kirker said.
I met with Kirker Tuesday morning to learn more about his ALPR privacy concerns.
“What I really want to accomplish is protecting public safety and our civil liberties at the same time," Kirker said.
Friday afternoon, I sat with Union Township Police Chief Anthony Rees ahead of the upcoming town hall.
"At the end of the day, we serve the residents of Union Township, so what they want or don’t want is obviously important to us," Rees said.
Rees sent me a document of the locations of the 20 Flock cameras across the township. Most are leased by the township, but there are some owned by apartment complexes or local marijuana dispensaries, according to Rees.
“For a great majority of the people out there, these cameras are never gonna really have a negative or positive effect on them; they're not going to feel them at all. They will have a positive effect, I believe, because we’re solving a lot of crime," Rees said.
Union Township's chief shared his reaction to residents' privacy concerns and allegations of Flock camera abuse from police departments across the country.
“We are cognizant of that here, and we are constantly watching; we are constantly auditing, and, you know, I believe we have a framework in place that will prevent that from happening," Rees said.
I spoke on the phone with Union Township Administrator Cory Wright on Friday and Township Trustee Joe Dills on Tuesday. Wright told me he hopes that people on both sides attend the town hall. Dills said that the intent of Flock cameras is good in nature, but no one wants their rights and privacy to be violated. Township trustees will make a decision based on feedback from residents, according to Dills.
