Bellevue City Council has voted unanimously to suspend use of Flock cameras in the city and to disable them until the end of the city’s two-year contract with the company.
The city has more than a year left on the $43,000 contract. Council member Shauna Kraus moved at the Sept. 9 meeting to suspend camera use while continuing discussion. Taking them down, she said, could be costly. She would like the city to investigate costs involved with removal.
“I have full confidence in our police department on how to utilize it, but I will say, the reputation of the Flock camera company is pretty sullied right now,” said Kraus. “People are very concerned about it; there are no statewide or federal guidelines on how this information is used.”
In the past month, several Northern Kentucky cities have ended their Flock program, including Independence, Erlanger and Newport.
Kraus suggested that, while the city is looking into removal, cameras should be covered and rendered inoperable.
The vote to disable the cameras was met with applause by those in attendance.