u/Physical_Shelter_518

This new agreement is policy that the Mantello administration and the Troy police department will begin implementing now. It also means that the new ALPR legislation sponsored by Council member Noreen McKee will not be voted on for 60 days to allow for discussions between city leaders.

The updated policies now include:

• Requiring annual audits to be submitted to the mayor and members of the Troy City Council to promote transparency and strengthen public accountability.

• Maintaining the City’s non-participation in Flock Safety’s National Lookup feature, except in investigations involving violent felony offenses and only with specific case-by-case authorization from the Chief of Police.

• Expanding prohibited uses to explicitly ban any involvement in immigration enforcement activities or the monitoring of First Amendment protected activities, including protests and free speech activities.

• Restricting the sharing of Flock ALPR data to intra-state agencies only and solely on a case-by-case basis. The policy does not permit data-sharing agreements with federal agencies.

As the child of Latino immigrants, possible Flock data-ICE coordination is deeply problematic to me, so I'm glad to see a commitment to banning any involvement with ICE.

Based on what I know so far, this is a great step forward and it includes a number of the things we've been asking for since March. It is frustrating that a city council vote on Ms. McKee's proposed law is going to be delayed. The public forum on June 4th is still scheduled to take place and we should all come and share our thoughts on the proposed legislation. We need to continue demanding that the Flock contract be cancelled and that the cameras be taken down. Learn more about the new agreement here.

I also recently learned that if the city council's lawsuit against the Mantello administration were to go through and a judge ruled in the council's favor, it would render the city's contract with the Flock company unlawful, which is GREAT!

What does everyone think about the new agreement among city leaders?

This is tremendous progress! It is not a cancellation of the Flock contract as we have demanded, but it is a HUGE step in the right direction that we should support and it could lead to changes to existing Flock contract, or potential contract cancellation.

“A Local Law Establishing Standards Governing The City’s Use Of Automatic License Plate Reader (ALPDR) System” has been added to the agenda for Thursday’s city council finance meeting. Read it in full here on page 2.

Here’s what it would do, if passed:

The proposed local law would establish a legal framework governing how the City of Troy can use Automatic License Plate Reader (ALPR) systems. It sets a rule that the City cannot use ALPR technology unless it falls within clearly defined exceptions. These exceptions are narrow and include specific law enforcement purposes, such as identifying vehicles connected to felony warrants, missing persons, or stolen cars, as well as limited uses for parking enforcement and access control in secured areas.

The law also imposes strict controls on how data is handled, shared, and monitored. It prohibits the City from sharing ALPR data with outside entities except under limited legal circumstances, such as with a warrant or court order, and requires that any data collected be deleted within 48 hours unless a specific exception applies.

In addition, the proposal mandates transparency by requiring annual public reports detailing how ALPR systems are used, including camera locations, scan numbers, and outcomes of searches, and it requires audit logs of all data access to be maintained for three years. To enforce these provisions, individuals are granted the right to sue for violations, with financial damages and legal fees available.

IMPLICATIONS FOR THE CITY'S EXISTING AND ACTIVE FLOCK CAMERAS CONTRACT:

The proposed local law would most likely conflict with the City of Troy’s existing contract with Flock in several major ways, because it is not how Flock currently operates data retention, sharing, and usage. The proposed law requires that all captured license plate data be deleted within 48 hours, while the Flock contract specifies a 30-day retention period, creating a contradiction in how long data can legally be stored.

In addition, the proposed law strictly limits when and how ALPR data can be shared, allowing disclosure only with a warrant, court order, or for specific legal proceedings. By contrast, the Flock system is designed to operate within a broad data-sharing network that includes access to statewide and nationwide databases, as well as privately owned cameras. This difference means that key features of the Flock platform would likely violate the law if it were enacted. In March, Troy PD said they don’t participate in the national data sharing system, likely as a result of our activism.

There are also conflicts in how the technology can be used and what data can be accessed. The proposed law restricts ALPR use to categories such as felony investigations, missing persons, and stolen vehicles, while the Flock contract supports broader law enforcement uses. The law also requires a warrant to access privately captured data, which clashes with Flock’s ability to integrate data from private and community-based cameras.

If this proposal passed, the City of Troy would need to significantly change or renegotiate its contract with Flock to remain compliant, or risk violating its law. In addition to passing this proposal, I believe the City Council should cancel the Flock contract, and cite this new law as the reason for doing so.

Let’s come out this Thursday, May 7th at 6pm to show support for this legislation and encourage our elected officials to vote in favor of it. City Hall is located at 433 River Street, Troy, NY.

Flock cameras in Troy present a serious threat to our privacy, and civil liberties. Flock data has been shared with ICE.

On March 19th, the Troy City Council finance committee failed to cancel the Flock contract renewal. At the last finance committee meeting, they did not bring up the matter of renewing the Flock contract up for a vote after it was tabled on 3/19. The sponsor decided not to bring it up again. They are dragging their feet on this important issue.

Recently, I found out some city council members are considering supporting keeping the Flock contract and making changes to it to protect privacy and establish other safeguards against hacking, and other concerns we have addressed. In my view, this is a colossal mistake. We do not need to keep the contract at all.

It doesn't need changes. It needs to be cancelled.

FULL CANCELLATION IS POSSIBLE!

If they cancel now (after it's been renewed), the city does NOT have to pay for the full contract. Instead, they have to pay for fees related to removing the cameras, capped at $500 per camera. Which in our city's case, would be up to $13,000. The City would also receive a prorated refund for unused time of the cameras.

The Mantello administration and Troy police department have not provided an SOC2/audit report that would show who has accessed the Flock system and what they have searched for. City council members have asked for this SOC 2 report. This report would let the public know whether or not they have used it for immigration enforcement purposes.

The police department's failure to provide this audit report is reprehensible.

CALL TO ACTION:

1. Email the city council members demanding full Flock contract cancellation and that they bring this matter up for a vote ASAP. citycouncil@troyny.gov
2. Email Mayor Mantello and demand her administration release the Flock SOC 2 audit report.

https://www.troyny.gov/formcenter/Mayors-Office-13/Contact-the-Mayors-Office-93