YORK –– A citizens’ petition aims to put an ordinance on the books in York banning the use of automatic license-plate scanning cameras.
The cameras are commonly referred to as “Flock cameras,” named after Flock Safety, the Atlanta-based company that manufactures the cameras. The cameras are built to assist public safety agencies by scanning license plate numbers of passing vehicles.
Flock Safety did not respond to a request for comment, but on its website the company indicated the cameras do not scan faces or otherwise identify the occupants of vehicles, nor do they allow for a live feed of the roadway they are scanning.
Those assurances, however, are not enough for Alexander Fedyk. He is the York resident behind the petition, which includes a draft of a new town ordinance. The language bans the use of Flock cameras and does not allow them to return without permission from voters first.
“I think that’s the most honest response we can have to something that is fundamentally a surveillance system,” he said.
Right now, there are at least four cameras operating in York. Two of them are at opposite corners of the intersection of Spur Road, Stonewall Lane and Route 1. The other two are just up the street on Spur Road, on opposite sides of the road that leads to and from Interstate 95.
Fedyk said he is concerned that data from the cameras, including records of license plate numbers, is being transferred to a cloud-based storage system, which is more out of the town’s control than he would like.
“I am of the opinion that we are trusting a private company with our safety,” he said.
According to York Town Clerk Lynn Osgood, the petition has enough signatures to warrant consideration by the Select Board. She said the board will be holding a public hearing on the petition on Monday, Aug. 31, and is expected to vote afterward on whether to add the proposed ordinance as a referendum question on the town ballot this fall.
On Thursday, Jeffrey Hart, 63, a Southside Road resident, spoke of conflicting opinions on the issue. He said he can appreciate the cameras’ value for law enforcement, particularly during an active investigation or an emergency.
He added, however, that he shared Fedyk’s concerns about a private company having so much sensitive data.
“We’re bombarded by companies that somehow have our information from the ethers, and it’s just relentless,” he said. “Do I want that license plate out there, do I want it somehow tracked back to me, and what does that actually mean in my daily life? So it’s going to be something to weigh.”
Officials with the York Police Department could not be reached for comment.