LEBANON, Ohio. — A Lebanon resident is gathering petition signatures ahead of a city council vote Tuesday night on the future of the city's automated license plate reader cameras.
Watch: Flock camera petition signing ahead of council vote
Brittany Adkins started the De-Flock Lebanon petition and plans to present the signatures to city leaders before the vote.
"It doesn't have to be super fancy; you don't need a lawyer. These are not legal petitions. They're just petitions to give the city council. It's nothing going on the ballot," Adkins said.
Adkins has never created a petition before and has already collected more than 100 signatures.
City council previously voted to pause all 20 of the city's Flock Safety cameras over concerns raised by the mayor and unanswered questions from the private company about how it handles the data it collects. Council also made a motion to delay a final decision while members look into the legalities of their contract with Flock.
Adkins said her concerns are not with the cameras themselves, but with the company behind them.
"So yeah, I don't. I don't have a problem with the camera. It's the company," Adkins said.
She said she wants the bagged-up cameras to remain disconnected and credited city leaders and law enforcement for their response so far.
"And being willing to at least bag up the cameras, I'm also very appreciative of the Lebanon Police Department. I know some people think a lot of times this is a dig at the police, and this is not it has nothing to do with the police and everything to do with the data and these large corporations," Adkins said.
Mayor Mark Messer voiced his concerns before disabling the cameras to allow the council more time to review the contract.
"We passed this two years ago. I was. I was just over the majority of my own hat like these. These are these could be dangerous, but they are very, very useful," the council member said.
Flock Safety says it continues to improve privacy, accountability, and security guardrails for its service. The company says its cameras have helped solve thousands of criminal cases and played a critical role in finding missing children.
Recent polls show many people are concerned about the cameras and how they are used.
Adkins and others will be collecting signatures at Centennial Park until 8 p.m. Wednesday and again Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. on Genntown Drive in Lebanon.
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