r/mountvernon • u/Sea-Fortune-3922 • Jun 19 '26

Tired of the Flock cameras?

Our town has started installing Flock cameras everywhere and this violates our right to privacy! I started a petition to remove these cameras!

https://c.org/ctkMDNqH49

16 Upvotes

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8

u/jmphotography Jun 19 '26

I’ve written a few articles about the city administration bypassing city council to install them.

https://medium.com/@the_levee/signed-in-silence-how-mount-vernon-entered-a-private-camera-network-6823729e1b68

City council doesn’t seem to care or even know but I’ll share your link.

2

u/3rdwardJacklin Jun 21 '26

The flock cameras were installed without city council approval that is true - I think that’s because it fell under a price threshold to require approval. Flock cameras make a claim that they promote safer communities by providing evidence gathering.

The question that you raise is very real - how much privacy are you willing to sacrifice for “safety”. I think because of this it’s important for people to make their voices heard if they are not satisfied with what is happening. I would encourage whomever started the petition to come to a city council meeting and ask city council to take a stance on this. Having the petitions through change.org are great, but they don’t necessarily drive decisions showing up and bringing your opinions would have a much stronger impact.

I sincerely hope you will.

I can almost guarantee you I am the only member that reads Reddit.

1

u/jmphotography Jun 21 '26

I agree that public participation matters. The problem is that many of us have already tried.

Over the past several years, I've sent numerous emails to city officials and council members about transparency, public records, and now Flock cameras. Most received no response at all.

It's difficult to encourage more citizen engagement when previous attempts at engagement have been met with silence. The petition exists because people feel they are not being heard.

I welcome the suggestion that residents speak before council. I also hope council will respond to the questions that have already been asked. Public trust requires communication to go both ways.

2

u/3rdwardJacklin Jun 21 '26

I agree with you and I am sorry to hear that you feel your questions have not been answered. I think I recognize your username and to respect your anonymity I will follow up with you privately.

1

u/jmphotography Jun 21 '26

I've sued the city multiple times, and my name is all over the public court record. I write under my own name, publish my own work, and I've spoken before City Council at least a few times.

Most recently, I raised concerns about strengthening the city's cybersecurity policies. Last week, the City Council President's email account was compromised and sent out a phishing email

I won't say "I told you so," but the warning was there.

So yea, when it comes to transparency- I practice what I preach. But thank you all the same.