Controversy over Flock cameras is rampant across the country; state officials in Florida blocked their usage on state roadways, and the Texas governor ordered a pause in funding for the surveillance tool. Across the water, the Nantucket Current investigated cameras that were installed back in 2021, and in New Bedford, residents have protested their use after a police officer was found using them to track an ex-partner; New Bedford’s City Council recently took the matter to the mayor’s office.
Concerns about this type of camera, an automated license plate reader made by the public safety technology company Flock Safety, were raised on-Island back in May after a few cameras were marked on DeFlock, a database that uses crowdsourcing to identify Flock cameras across the country. Information about suspected cameras installed in Edgartown and Oak Bluffs were shared over social media, like Facebook, and in emails to The Times. The cameras initially marked on DeFlock have since been removed.
The Times confirmed that there are no Flock cameras on the Island with town officials, and those spotted months ago by residents were surveillance cameras for a local company that installs underground pipes and wiring for telecommunication companies. The cameras are powered by artificial intelligence to process data from images of motor vehicles.
Jonathan Searle, chief of police for Oak Bluffs, said that the cameras in question were located near the fire station in town, on the corner of County Road and Wing Road, as well as at the “triangle” in Edgartown, where Edgartown-Vineyard Haven Road and Beach Road convene at the start of Upper Main Street.
“As far as Oak Bluffs having any Flock cameras, there are none,” Searle said.
Andy Farrissey, owner and president of Farrissey Tele-Comm, confirmed to The Times that the cameras were surveillance cameras at job sites in Oak Bluffs and Edgartown.
“It’s best construction practice now. You’re supposed to have fences up and cameras on site,” Farrissey said in an interview with The Times. “We monitor construction zones just to make sure nobody messes with our stuff at night.”
James Hagerty, Edgartown town administrator, said there is no discussion or research being done surrounding the addition of Flock cameras in Edgartown. But in theory, Hagerty said, the process would be very public.
“It would just be like anything. If the town was going to spend money on Flock cameras, there would be some sort of appropriation at town meetings,” Hagerty said. “I don’t know how much they cost, but controversial things like that would end up on the town meeting floor.”
