Photo by Cameron Healy
Gulfport City Council spent substantial time at its Sept. 3 meeting debating the City’s Flock Safety automated license-plate reader cameras, weighing cost, privacy, and data ownership against the technology’s crime-solving value. Council did not take a separate vote on the system.
Ward III Councilmember Jennifer Webb questioned whether the City should continue investing in the system while cutting other services. She also raised concerns about data ownership and whether future changes in law or policy could limit how Gulfport uses the cameras.
“Right now, Flock owns the data, and we don’t own the data,” Webb said.
Privacy Concerns Raised
Webb remained skeptical about committing money to a system the City might later be unable to use as intended. She also questioned the spending priority, comparing it to cuts elsewhere in the budget.
“If we’re not going to give trees $40,000, why would we give it to Flock?” Webb said.
Vice Mayor Marlene Shaw said she didn’t question the technology’s value but did not want to sacrifice privacy for it.
[Read more below]
That’s not all that happened at the Sept. 3 Gulfport City Council meeting. Read about free trees, millage rates, small budget items, garbage rates, and Spirit of Gulfport Award.
Police Defend the Cameras
Gulfport Chief of Police Mary Farrand defended the cameras as a crime-solving tool. She said the system automates license-plate checks officers already perform from patrol cars, and has helped in investigations involving missing persons, human trafficking and serious crimes.
“There are a few bad apples who have used the technology in a negative way,” Farrand said, adding that she didn’t want those people on her force.
Farrand also argued that the readers are less intrusive than conventional surveillance cameras because they capture vehicle information rather than continuously recording public spaces.
Because Council did not take a separate vote, funding for the cameras continues as part of the broader budget approval.
The next Gulfport City Council meeting is Sept. 15 at 6 p.m.
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