Cambridge ends contract for license plate cameras after 'breach of trust'

Local News

“Concerns about Flock were substantiated. Due to this material breach of our trust and the agreement, the City terminated its contract with Flock Safety."

Cambridge said it ended its contract with Flock Safety for license plate reader cameras after the company installed two more cameras “without the City’s awareness” amid a temporary pause, citing privacy concerns.

The Cambridge City Council voted unanimously in October to pause the use of the cameras just months after approving them. The 16 cameras were installed in September, and they were deactivated and removed by the city, spokesperson Jeremy Warnick said.

Then, Flock Safety notified the city that two cameras were installed by their technicians in late November “without the City’s awareness,” the spokesperson said. Warnick said the outstanding work order should have been canceled “when the city originally deactivated the cameras and account.”

“Concerns about Flock were substantiated,” Warnick said. “Due to this material breach of our trust and the agreement, the City terminated its contract with Flock Safety. The two cameras have also been removed.”

The City Council initially revisited the cameras after feedback from residents, the ACLU, and the nonprofit Digital Fourth, which advocates for privacy and surveillance reform.

“What I’m really hearing is that the most criticism is of the company Flock,” City Councilor Paul Toner said previously.

In October, the ACLU said that more than 40 Massachusetts police departments have contracts to deploy Flock’s automatic license plate reader, or LPR technology. But, police across the country can collect detailed information about Massachusetts drivers, according to documents obtained by the ACLU.

“At a point in time when the collaboration between local governments and federal law enforcement has been severely strained, the City recognizes and appreciates the significance of these concerns,” Warnick said.

The Brookline Select Board tabled moving forward on installing Flock’s technology in October. In Oregon, Eugene police ended the contract with Flock Safety after one camera was inadvertently activated, collecting data while turned on, local media reported. 

According to 404 Media, a Texas law enforcement agency used Flock’s national database to track a woman who allegedly self-administered an abortion. The agency reportedly lied to access Massachusetts data to get her location.

Flock Safety did not return a request for comment but previously said “the allegations about Flock’s relationship with federal agencies are untrue — these questions have been addressed and, in some cases, … have led to improvements in our products.”

The city plans to evaluate the use of ALPRs in Cambridge “and looks forward to re-engaging with the City Council and broader community about this technology,” Warnick said.

This article has been updated to correct a quote attributed to Toner.