The City of Stoughton voted to terminate its contract with Flock July 28 after months of opposition to the surveillance cameras by the community.
Stoughton’s city council unamious decision comes after last week’s public safety meeting where it was recommended to vote on ending its contract with Flock. Residents have continuously voiced their concerns for Stoughton’s five Flock cameras — four automatic license plate readers (ALPR) and one live feed camera — with worries for privacy, attraction to the city and degradation of Stoughton’s police force becoming reliant on a private company. Stoughton’s contract was intended to span two years for a total cost of $25,000. With its contract terminated, it will still be required to pay the remaining half of the contract, in the amount of $12,500.
“I have been coming to these city council meetings … since literally two weeks after I moved to Stoughton this spring. I believe that how a government works, and how they spend their money, says a lot about the community,” said Brenda Carus, area resident and current citizen member of Stoughton’s finance committee. “There are things more important than sometimes money, and the people in this room are telling you and have been telling you that this is not a service that they want or need in this community.”…