The mayor of Independence announced in a written statement Monday that the city would “immediately begin the process of removing the Flock Safety cameras from the City of Independence.”
“Good government requires more than simply making the decision we believe is best,” writes Mayor Chris Reinersman. “It also requires listening to the people we were elected to serve.”
Independence was one of the first cities in the Northern Kentucky region to employ Flock Safety products, trialing them for the first time in 2023. The police department contracted with Flock Safety for 10 automatic license plate readers in 2024 and then added five more in 2025, according to contracts LINK nky obtained through a public records request. The city contracted for another five in June of this year. Independence Police Chief Brian Ferayorni said that 17 were in use, as of last week.
The city council held a public meeting last week to get residents’ input on the use of the devices. Although the police and mayor believed they were useful tools for investigating crime, none of the numerous residents who attended the meeting favored their use. Many residents didn’t take personal issue with the Independence PD but worried the devices’ use could expand in the event of a contract change, a new slate of city council members, or if Flock Safety gets bought out. Others expressed worries about the security of the collected data, as well as broader concerns about mass surveillance and privacy.
Three city council members also came out explicitly against the devices at last week’s meeting.
In his statement, Reinersman says that his position on the use of the devices has not, in fact, changed, in spite of the public outcry.
“I want to be clear that my position on the cameras themselves has not changed,” Reinersman writes. “I continue to believe our original decision to utilize this technology was a sound one. I do not believe the cameras pose the threat to personal privacy or potential for widespread abuse that has sometimes been portrayed, particularly on social media. More importantly, they have proven their value on multiple occasions over the past few years as an effective tool for our law enforcement officers, with none of the feared consequences.”
“While I personally continue to believe the cameras can be a valuable and appropriate law enforcement tool, I also believe strongly that elected officials must respect the will of the people they represent,” Reinersman also writes. “We were elected to serve the residents of Independence, and when our community speaks this clearly, we have an obligation to listen.”
You can read the mayor’s full statement below.
