Auburn city councilors will discuss Monday continuing funding for the police department’s Flock cameras in this upcoming budget amid public backlash over their use.

Flock Safety advertises its cameras as a way to help police departments find missing people, stop organized retail crime, stop vehicle theft, and solve burglary and trespassing cases, among other benefits. 

For more than two years, the cameras in Auburn have been used to read license plates and can alert police when it detects a vehicle that has been reported stolen or is believed to be connected to a crime, according to Mayor Jeff Harmon.

But privacy advocates argue the cameras are being used far beyond just simple license plate readings for police departments. The American Civil Liberties Union warned the public in a statement last summer that data from Flock’s cameras was being used by federal immigration officers, and that the company was looking to allow public data brokers to access its system.

The group also warned that police departments could use the system to search for individuals beyond its jurisdiction and that the company is considering expanding its plate readers to capture videos, not just still photos, according to the statement.

The Auburn Police Department got funding for the cameras from a Department of Homeland Security grant, which at the time did not need City Council approval, according to Harmon.

The cameras were installed about August 2023, according to City Manager Phil Crowell Jr. The $25,000 grant allowed the department to install seven license plate readers and one flex camera.

With that grant funding drying up, $24,000 is being proposed in the city’s upcoming 2026-27 Police Department budget to fund continued operation of the camera system.

Councilors on Monday night will consider the proposal. They could deny the request or keep it in the budget for now.

The meeting starts at 7 p.m. in the Council Chambers in Auburn Hall at 60 Court St.

Harmon said if councilors keep it in the proposed police budget, it will get further consideration as the budget process moves forward. Should that happen, Harmon said he expects the council will have a fuller discussion on how the cameras will be used and consider the public’s concern around the their use.