Scottsdale is latest Arizona city to consider shutting off Flock Safety cameras

Scottsdale is the latest Arizona city to consider ending the use of Flock Safety surveillance technology.

The Scottsdale City Council will hold a public hearing and potentially take action on the issue during its regular meeting Tuesday. Police Chief Joe LeDuc is listed as a presenter for the agenda item.

“This is an important public policy discussion that deserves a thorough and transparent review of the benefits, limitations and safeguards associated with this technology,” Mayor Lisa Borowsky said in a statement. “By bringing this topic forward for a public hearing, we are ensuring residents have the opportunity to hear the facts, speak out and understand how Flock is being used in our community.”

Why are cities like Scottsdale rethinking use of Flock technology?

Automatic license plate readers, or ALPRs, have become controversial as citizens push back against mass surveillance and the potential for it to be misused. Flock’s AI-powered cameras automatically take photos of passing vehicles and convert the images into searchable data that is stored in a cloud-based system.

“Flock is capturing so much data that it’s actually mind-boggling. And then we don’t know what they’re doing with that data,” Pinal County Sheriff Ross Teeple told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s The Mike Broomhead on Friday after testifying at a congressional hearing.

Teeple announced in August that he would not be renewing his office’s contract with Flock, saying its cameras were capable of facial recognition, live video streaming and AI-driven pattern recognition that can track residents’ daily movements.

Pinal County is not alone in dropping Flock. Surprise, Tempe, Cave Creek and Chandler are among the communities to cut ties with the company since August.

Scottsdale mayor wanted council to address the issue

Borowsky said she first mentioned putting the surveillance system on the agenda in August. LeDuc submitted a comprehensive memo on how his department uses Flock’s ALPRs on Aug. 27.

The mayor brought up the issue again during the Sept. 22 council meeting, when she initially proposed putting Flock on the agenda for Oct. 20.

“There’s no time like the present to do this,” Borowsky said during the meeting.

After debating alternative timelines, the mayor and council members unanimously approved the earlier date.

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