OPINION: De-Flock Floyd
Opinion pieces and Letters to the Editor represent the opinions of the individual authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the editorial board, the publisher, or the staff.
By David Grimsley
Opinion pieces and Letters to the Editor represent the opinions of the individual authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the editorial board, the publisher, or the staff.
There is a growing conversation nationally about the rapid proliferation of surveillance devices around our country. That concern became a Floyd issue when people started noticing a new series of strange, discreet solar-powered cameras being installed around our county. Once they were pointed out to me and explained what they were, I couldn’t ignore them. At the last No Kings protest, when the mic was handed to me, I took the opportunity to point out the camera at the stoplight, making others aware that it was there. Since then, four more cameras have been installed around Floyd County and increasingly folks are starting to voice their concern.
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For those who are hearing about this issue for the first time, these cameras are owned and operated by a private Atlanta-based company called Flock. They are installed under the premise that they are there to assist local police track stolen vehicles and other crime-related activity. Police can search the recorded database for license plate numbers, vehicle make and model, and times spotted. These cameras have definitely helped in solving several crimes since they have been installed, however this data does not belong to the local police precinct whatsoever. Even if the Sheriff's department deletes data after two months, as stated in the FCSO Policy Directive (available online), all of the data collected by these Flock cameras is stored indefinitely and accessible by literally anyone willing to pay the price. You see, Flock owns the data, not law enforcement. Flock cameras create a detailed database of your movements over time. They have AI facial recognition technology and are able to identify and classify vehicles and their drivers based on the stickers on their cars.
This has raised alarms by privacy rights activists and citizens concerned that their 4th Amendment rights are being fully violated. The fight against these cameras, the data they collect, and the selling of personal information is growing nationally, with 73 counties nationwide and 4 in Virginia banning the cameras within their jurisdictions. That’s right, there’s enough evidence that these cameras violate our rights that judges and county councils have ruled to have them removed permanently.
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So why are these cameras growing in numbers in Floyd, if it has been proven in a court of law that they are unconstitutional? The thing is, our rights are being tested and eroded on a daily basis. What it takes are people like you and me to stand up and pressure our local government, including the sheriff’s department, that we will not stand for our residents to be surveilled in a way that violates our right to privacy. This is a time to be vigilant, as technology is interfacing with each of us more and more intimately. So many of our problems today are manufactured by people who don’t necessarily have your best interests in mind.
I joined a group of concerned citizens on June 23 to speak at the BOS meeting about our issues with the Flock cameras. Getting my concerns on the public record felt important, and allowing our elected public officials, the ones who write the budget for the sheriff’s department, to know that we’re paying attention, seemed appropriate. The folks that showed up and spoke seemed to educate the room, including the board, of just how dangerous this technology can be, and the implications for the future, if we sit back and literally let these companies “Tread on Us”.
This is one that we can put a stop to, if we use our voice and pressure our elected officials to, not only remove the existing cameras, but pass a referendum that would ban unnecessary mass surveillance from our streets and skies.
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The next Board of Supervisors meetings are Tuesday, July 14, at 9:30 a.m. and Tuesday, July 28, at 7 p.m. If you wish to make your voices heard regarding the Flock cameras or any other concerns, each meeting has a public comment period. Please be on time if you wish to speak, as there is a signup queue. Though the sheriff is invited to these meetings, records show he has rarely attended. The meetings are also recorded live and available on the Floydcova.gov website. For more information on Flock, visit www.deflock.org.
I also recommend calling the sheriff’s office and letting Brian Craig know how you feel about Flock encroaching on our county and its people.