r/Troy

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?

I can't get him to sit still for the photo, but I found this little black dog running around Ferry St. DM me if you know who he belongs to!

Update: He has been returned to his family!

Wake Up Wednesdays are BACK at Ryan’s Wake Public House with seven free outdoor concerts on the Hudson River starting this Wednesday, May 20 at 5 PM.

2026 LINEUP:

May 20 – The Accents (Capital Region’s hottest party band!)

May 27 – 2000’s Night with The Hey Nows

June 3 – The Troy Music Revue featuring The Family Tree

June 10 – The Revival featuring Alyssa Crosby (hot 80s & 90s country & rock)

June 17 – Yacht Club (pure Yacht Rock vibes)

June 24 – Highway Boys (Zach Bryan Tribute)

July 1 – Legend (Journey Tribute)

If it rains, the party moves inside.

Ryan's Wake is located at 403 River Street, Troy, NY.

Happened about 40 min ago. He came in my back gate. In fairness to him he approached the door cause my wife was talking to him through the camera. He asked for water. My wife asked him to leave and he got water from the hose and left via the gate closing it behind him. He was not rude or aggressive. Does not look like he touched anything else.

Just a FYI for the 'burg.

The city council has introduced Local Law #3, which seeks to restrict the collection and use of ALPR data in Troy. The mayor’s office and the Troy Police Department will be making statements that are strongly against any restrictions. Let’s make sure they know that the public supports regulating ALPR technologies in Troy, and that we want Flock systems to be removed.

Note: This is a public safety committee, which means the city council is meeting to discuss the law with the administration, TPD, and to hear from the public. They will not be voting on the law during this meeting. Public comment will be allowed before the meeting begins, at 5:30. 

ICYMI: A guide to speaking at city council meetings.

Here are the key messages to reinforce and put in your own words:

1. We support meaningful legislation restricting ALPRs to specific use.

Local Law #3 isn’t perfect, but it’s a good start. It restricts the storage of Troy’s ALPR data to 48 hours, and requires a warrant before access in most cases.

• The capabilities of AI enabled policing / surveillance technology can change in a moment with software updates. We’d like to see tighter restrictions to prevent blind adoption of complex technologies owned by private companies that turn our daily movements into data. 
• Mass surveillance marketed as safety doesn’t bother just us; it’s a bipartisan issue. Lawmakers on the federal and state level are taking action.
• Surveillance Accountability Act - Thomas Massie (R-KY), Lauren Boebert (R-CO) 
  • Massie put it bluntly: "The Bill of Rights is not a suggestion, and Fourth Amendment protections against warrantless searches conducted by the government are not optional."

    

• In New York State, multiple legislative proposals have been introduced to restrict use of biometric surveillance (including facial recognition technology) and ALPR technologies. 
• This is the first municipal ALPR legislation proposed in our region. It’s important to get it right.

1. We support the Article 78 filing to sue  the mayor.

• The mayor’s executive declaration of emergency to override the city council is a dangerous abuse of power, and we have to stop it now. 
• The Article 78 filings seek to remove the mayor’s declaration of emergency and refund emergency funds that were paid to flock.
• This is the first step in delegitimizing Flock’s contract renewal. Without the automatic renewal, the contract can be terminated.
• Learn more about the emergency declaration and how it was implemented here.

1. We want to see an audit of TPD’s Flock system that shows who has had access to our data .

 

• TPD says they haven’t shared our data with federal agencies or ICE, but there are many examples nationwide of access from other departments without local knowledge. Residents  and the Troy city council have been asking to see an audit that supports this claim, but TPD has not released any information.
  • Note: Flock’s own policies suggest that its customers should request regular audits which would reveal who, why and when outside individuals/entities have accessed the data generated locally by Flock cameras.
  • Saratoga Police Department has shared their flock transparency portal which shows who has had access to their data. It revealed that over 1000 agencies nationwide have access to their data including Florida Fish and Wildlife and Texas Department of Criminal Justice, both of whom share information with ICE and to prosecute women for abortions.
  • On May 2, 2026, Dayton, OH suspended its use of Flock cameras after the police department discovered that their data was being used for immigration enforcement, despite Flock's explicit assurances that it would not be.

1. We want community involvement before AI-enabled policing technology is implemented.

 

• When the city plans to implement policing tools that require mass public surveillance and data collection, the public should be informed and allowed to give input. 
• This technology’s capabilities change instantly with a software update. The public has a right to be informed every time the technology’s capabilities are updated.

1. We want  Flock cameras OUT.

 

• Flock’s technology is deeply concerning, and is more than “just a license plate reader”. It’s a privately owned system that logs our daily patterns of life, aggregating our data into a database accessible to law enforcement nationwide without a warrant. 
• Flock puts our neighbors at risk. It can be used by stalkers or officers with poor judgement, for state-to-state surveillance, or to prosecute women seeking abortions across state lines. 
  • Increased anti-trans legislation puts our queer friends and neighbors at risk on a national level.
  • It’s been well documented that Flock has been used in collaboration with ICE without judicial warrants or court orders. In Minneapolis, concerns that Flock was being used to seek and detain their immigrant friends and neighbors led most municipalities in that area to shut off their ALPR cameras.
  • ALPRs and police surveillance target black and brown communities. Research analyzing traffic stops has found that Black drivers are subjected to significantly higher rates of traffic stops and subsequent searches than their white counterparts—demonstrating systemic racial bias that ALPRs would amplify.
• There is no transparency with Flock.
  • There is an obvious lack of transparency around how our data is used, who has access, and how these cameras showed up in our community in the first place. We are not okay with this. Flock is enabling TPD and the Mayor to implement mass surveillance technologies without public input.
• A refresher on the problem with Flock can be seen here.

Remember:

• The best way to get your point across is to speak to what you feel strongest about. You don’t need to be an expert on surveillance technologies or legislation to understand that it’s wrong for the City to be contracting with a corporation that does not have the public interest at heart. 
• The City Council and Mayor work for the people of Troy. It is completely reasonable to demand public transparency and accountability.

 

https://www.syracuse.com/state/2026/05/upstate-ny-mayor-declares-emergency-to-keep-ai-cameras-watching-residents.html

Anyone who is in the Capital Region/Upstate NY area this summer and during the fall is welcome to join the River Runners for some casual quadball pickups this summer!

Never played or heard of quadball? No worries at all! It's a fast-paced, co-ed sport that combines elements of rugby, dodgeball, and basketball. Our summer sessions are completely casual, low-stakes, and beginner-friendly! We’ll teach you everything you need to know, and we have all the equipment ready to go. It's a great way to stay active and meet new people.

Check out our Instagram: @518riverrunners, and join our Discord for more info!

Hope to see you there!