Pembroke Pines suspends use of Flock cameras after mayor and state push back
Published by Pembroke Pines News
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FDOT Flock Safety Pembroke Pines Police Department South Florida Sun Sentinel
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In a Sept. 1 post on NextDoor, Mayor Angelo Castillo called on the city administration, Police Chief Jose Vargas and the state to suspend the technology, citing mounting concerns from residents over lack of privacy.
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The mayor said he did so despite being assured that no abuses of the technology had happened within the city.
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“This decision is made knowing that while license plate readers have assisted police to capture many suspects wanted by the law, this technology requires safeguards that do not offend the personal rights of residents,” Castillo wrote.
Angelo Castillo Flock cameras Pembroke Pines Police Department
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“And while assured that no abuses have occurred in our city, that’s not enough to resolve the concerns voiced by our residents.”
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The Pembroke Pines Police Department said Wednesday it would fully suspend its license plate reader programs, effective immediately, after taking into consideration the FDOT’s memo, the mayor’s call to action and consultation with city administration.
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Castillo noted that it is unclear to the city what the removal would cost or who would pay for it.
It is unclear to the city at this point what the removal would cost or who would pay for it, Castillo noted.
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“We recognize the significant public safety value this technology can provide, and our Police Department has taken significant steps to increase transparency, enhance training, and establish additional accountability measures,” the police department’s statement on Instagram reads.
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The police department’s decision follows an Aug. 31 memorandum from the FDOT revoking general-use permits for automated license plate readers on roads under state jurisdiction.
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FDOT said it would no longer issue permits for future license plate reader systems and gave agencies 30 days to remove cameras covered by the permits they issued.
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Cameras not removed within the deadline could be removed by the department, the memo read.
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The city’s Flock Safety contract covers 64 documented license plate reader units at a total initial two-year contract cost of $342,400, including a $350 installation fee and $2,500 annual usage fee per unit.
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However, Vice Mayor Michael Hernandez said Wednesday that, according to his conversations with the police chief, the city currently has 86 operational license plate reader cameras, with the capacity to reach 100.
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Hernandez said he was not certain how many of the 86 cameras are operated by Flock Safety and how many may be operated by another vendor.
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He said a significant number are located along Pines Boulevard, which is maintained by the state and will be subject to FDOT’s removal order.
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“ I did not receive any briefing on how the process would work in terms of removing them throughout the city, or how quickly that would happen — those are questions that we would be posing to the chief tomorrow evening,” he said, referring to a Sept. 3 commission meeting.
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Hernandez said he supports the department’s decision to suspend the program, despite what he described as measurable public safety benefits from the cameras.
Flock cameras Michael Hernandez Pembroke Pines Police Department
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Hernandez cited an incident involving a person who was wanted for questioning in a robbery in Palm Beach County who drove through the city.
The Flock camera flagged the vehicle’s license plate, notifying city police and ultimately helping to locate the person.
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Pembroke Pines entered into a cooperative agreement for Flock Safety’s license plate reader technology in December 2022, using terms and pricing from a bid initially made by the city of Coral Springs.
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The agreement provided for the purchase and installation of fixed and mobile license plate readers.
It called for an initial two-year term, with the option for two more two-year renewals.
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The PPPD did not respond to questions from the Pembroke Pines News about the city’s current annual Flock subscription, whether Florida Department of Law Enforcement cost-reimbursement funding was used for the program, what safeguards are in place to prevent misuse of the data or which department personnel have access to the information.
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Pembroke Pines commissioners are meant to discuss the Flock camera topic at the city’s next commission meeting on Sept. 3 at 6:30 p.m. in the commission chambers.
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