Cam Hunt announced when he officially takes office as Lee County Sheriff in January, he intends to terminate the sheriff’s contract with Flock Safety. Hunt explained his rationale for the decision saying “Flock has developed what I consider an AI-driven surveillance dragnet, connecting thousands of cameras into a searchable network capable of tracking vehicle movements across jurisdictions. This goes beyond traditional license plate recognition and raises legitimate concerns about privacy, mass data collection, cybersecurity, information sharing, and government oversight.”
The Republican nominee for Lee County Sheriff said ending the contract with Flock Safety would not affect cameras operated by municipalities or private businesses, as those are separate arrangements. Hunt also notes the sheriff’s office currently uses vehicle-mounted license plate readers, which will continue under his watch.
“I won’t have access to the full details of the Flock contract until I take office in January, so those terms will determine the process and timeline for ending the agreement,” and he said his concerns extend beyond the cameras. “They involve Flock Safety as a company, its approach to data collection and management, and the broader implications of entrusting private corporations with sensitive information collected through government surveillance systems,” Hunt stated…