Lowell Council Reverses Course: Flock Camera Use Restored in Closed Session
City officials voted 8-1 to reinstate automated license plate readers just two weeks after suspending the program, with the decision made behind closed doors.
By Julia Wang ·
Lowell city councilors voted 8-1 to reinstate the police department's use of Flock automated license plate reader cameras on Oct. 6, a move that occurred less than two weeks after the body voted to suspend the technology.
The decision was made during an executive session, a closed-door meeting where council members debated the surveillance tools. The minutes released this week show Councilor John McDonough cast the only dissenting vote. He argued that the final vote should have taken place in public session, a point emphasized in the written record of the meeting.
Police officials defended the reinstatement during the closed discussion. Lowell Police Superintendent Greg Hudon and other department members described the cameras as a vital investigative resource. The city operates 47 of these units, which retain captured data for a period of 30 days before deletion, according to the meeting minutes.
The reversal followed a 6-5 vote on Sept. 22, when the council initially paused the program to gather more information on data auditing and privacy protections. That earlier suspension was driven by concerns over how the vendor, Flock Safety, handles information shared with other agencies.
Councilor Kim Scott cited a specific incident in Boston as a source of alarm. She noted that Flock had allowed outside law enforcement agencies to access Boston's license plate data during a pilot program last year, contrary to the city's original wishes. "I applaud some of the crimes that they've been able to stop across the city," Scott said. "What alarmed me was what happened in Boston." Boston police subsequently dropped the vendor following that trial period.
Other councilors raised questions about federal access to the data. Councilor Kim Nuon asked whether federal immigration enforcement agents could utilize Flock information. Published reports indicate that ICE has been able to access the network, though the company states it does not hold a direct contract with the agency. The cameras operate without a warrant or subpoena, a feature that has drawn criticism from privacy advocates nationwide.
Flock is the largest manufacturer of AI-enabled license plate cameras, maintaining a network of more than 120,000 units across 49 states. The system captures 20 billion scans per month. A spokesperson for the Lowell police department and city hall had no comment on the reinstatement as of Wednesday. The minutes did not specify a date for when the cameras would be physically reactivated.
