Public forum on Flock cameras set for September

Dutchess County’s top law enforcement officials will hold a public forum on their use of surveillance technology manufactured by Flock Safety on Wednesday, Sept. 23, at 5 p.m. at the Pleasant Valley Town Hall.

The forum, hosted by County Legislator Eric Alexander, will include District Attorney Anthony Parisi and Dutchess County Sheriff Kirk Imperati.

The announcement comes amid a controversial year of expansion for automated license plate readers across the county. Flock cameras have spread through small towns, gathering vehicle movement data to aid law enforcement investigations.

In a statement, Alexander said the event will give residents an opportunity to “ask questions and express concerns” about the AI-equipped cameras, while allowing the sheriff and DA to explain how the technology is deployed.

County Legislature Chair Yvette Valdés-Smith said the forum grew out of repeated constituent concerns, while Parisi said his office and the Sheriff’s Office are prepared to “answer difficult questions” and correct misinformation, even as he defended the county’s right to use lawful tools to solve crimes. Imperati added the county has taken steps to ensure the cameras are used within legal guidelines while remaining accountable to the public.

Parisi pointed to ARTCIC, the office’s online portal for Flock activity. ARTCIC highlights arrests made with the help of the Flock system, and lists the publicly available camera locations. Parisi has described it as one of the first efforts to unify multiple agencies under one crime-analysis platform.

Flock’s cameras and software are used by law-enforcement agencies across the country. It is just one company in an industry of automatic license plate readers, but Flock’s rapid growth has drawn criticism from privacy advocates. Concerns over data sharing with outside agencies—including federal immigration authorities—have prompted municipalities from Los Angeles to Windsor, Connecticut, to terminate their Flock contracts.

Earlier this year in the town of Pine Plains, a police sergeant signed an $80,000 contract with Flock without the Town Board’s knowledge or approval. The discovery came after residents spotted survey stakes marking planned camera locations around town. The sergeant has since retired, and the town ultimately canceled the agreement with Flock.

But some property owners have entered into independent agreements with the Sheriff’s department to host the cameras, leading to the presence of at least one Flock camera in every county municipality.

In August, Dutchess County Chief Deputy Steve Reverri appeared before the Amenia Town Board to discuss the utility of these cameras, and assuage concerns that the data was being misused.

September’s forum will be the county’s most direct attempt yet to address that unease head-on. Alexander frames the event as part of an ongoing effort at transparency, and Valdés-Smith said she expects a “candid and robust conversation.”