Edgewater Should Keep Flock Contract

Mayoral Write-In Candidate Cassidy Binder Recently Shared this Letter with the Echo and City Leaders

Dear Council, Edgewater Echo, and Mr. Welshon,

Thank you for sharing your concerns about the FLOCK ALPR system. Your apprehension about surveillance and its potential impact on our community is well noted. However, I respectfully disagree with terminating the FLOCK contract, as it provides critical safety benefits with robust privacy safeguards.

Discontinuing FLOCK would leave Edgewater without an effective tool to combat rising crime rates, particularly vehicle thefts. Without it, we risk becoming a magnet for car thieves, as we’d lack the means to alert police to potential threats. This could make our citizens more vulnerable, increasing the likelihood of crimes that violate our safety.

You raise valid concerns about surveillance, but the City already (allegedly) employs various monitoring methods, such as utilities and energy usage, phone pinging street lamps, third-party cookie marketing via envisionedgewater.com, and, the SUTS program.

Additionally, community service patrols from staff, privatized deputies, free Wi-Fi network capabilities, the abundance of 5G hardware located on the roof of Edgewater Gardens, and the sides of the Vietnamese church on 26th, all raise similar questions about oversight and local surveillance capabilities. FLOCK, by contrast, operates with transparent protocols developed by law enforcement experts, ensuring accountability.

The council’s scrutiny of FLOCK’s capabilities is fair, but replacing it with a system lacking FLOCK’s strict rules, protocols, and controls could be far riskier. A less-regulated alternative might enable selective monitoring or enforcement driven by self-interested motives, undermining legal, ethics, privacy, and fairness requirements. FLOCK’s safeguards—data encryption, limited retention, and restricted access mitigate these concerns, balancing security and privacy.

There’s no evidence our police have misused FLOCK data, and the system has proven effective in deterring crime. Terminating it could heighten risks of property crimes and even gun violence, without clear justification. While I share your value of liberty, FLOCK’s targeted approach to crime prevention aligns with protecting our community’s values, safety and freedom.

I encourage the council to retain FLOCK, as its benefits far outweigh the speculative risks, and, no better alternative currently exists.

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