One of the Flock cameras posted at Lowe’s Home Improvement Center in Albany last April.
Last February Albany barred the city police from using automated license plate readers of the Flock Safety company. Now the city council wants to warn the public that there are privately operated cameras of this type.
On Wednesday the council voted 4-1 to instruct City Attorney Sean Kidd to draft an ordinance that would direct businesses to post signs to notify people that Flock-type cameras are in use on the premises. Councilwoman Marilyn Smith voted “no.”
Kidd said he could not find any city or state in the country that had such a law.
That would make Albany’s proposed requirement the first in the nation. “Cool,” said Councilwoman Steph Newton.
The license plate readers record the plate numbers and other features of passing cars and store the information in a data base. I don’t know exactly how Lowe’s and other stores use the data from their cameras, but I presume the goal is loss prevention.
Maybe the cameras deter shoplifters, especially organized gangs of retail thieves. Or if deterrence fails, maybe the data are useful in catching and prosecuting thieves.
Kidd didn’t say, and the council didn’t ask, when this new sign requirement would be ready for council action.
One problem, Kidd said, would be enforcement. This would be similar to the shopping cart ordinance that a previous council imposed on stores a few years ago, a city law that is widely ignored and not enforced.
And would businesses face the threat of city fines if they fail to post the signs?
We’ll find out when the city attorney presents his draft for the council to enact. (hh)
They tracted the Forest Grove killer with cell phones & Flock camera’s & located him the next day….dead…..C O O L said Steph Newton…..My head hurts…
I love your comment, “Cool, said Steph Newton….my head hurts.” I’m still chuckling over it. Thank you for lightening up my day!
Seems Hasso is trying to make Councilor Newton look bad. I listened to the meeting and read the DH article on it. This is what she said, as accurately reported in the DH:
“For Councilor Steph Newton, the requirement is good manners.
“I think it’s just polite for folks to know when their data is and is not being collected,” she said.”
the “cool” remark was about first-in-the-nation. And it is cool, if you ask me.
First it’s GOOD and now it’s BAD! Such HYPOCRISY! And we aren’t surprised about crap like this.
How about abiding by STATE LAW and fly the MIA flag? Or are you hypocritic about obeying the law?
Cool…….will all cameras in Albany need signs posted near them? Never know who can share information! Appears the council needs something to do. And they are worried about Big Brother.
They’re helping solve somewhere between 800,000 to a million crimes every calendar year. So, roughly about 20 to 25 percent of all reported crime in America is being solved in some way or another with Flock technology.
There are a number of City ordinances all ready on the books that are not enforced, infact ignored. Why add another???
It would save a whole lot of grief if the city of Albany would just get rid of those flock cameras. We citizens surely did not vote for the city to intrude on our comings and goings. Shades of 1984 by Orwell.
“We” surely did vote for the folks who are making those decisions on our behalf! Don’t like it? Excercise change with your ballot…
Ray come up with something new, nobody is going to vote for you
The truth stings doesn’t it…
We are aware of the good a flock camera can do; locate the person with dementia who found their car keys or spot the stolen vehicle and many similar uses. Tell me again how this is bad.
P.O.V. of course. Personally, I believe it’s over-hyped paranoia…
Be still my beating heart! I actually agree with Ray on something.
It’s great if you live in a totalitarian government that tracks your every move.
I remember a nun from the 5th grade that made the statement-
Thank God you don’t live in a Communist country. In a Communist country, they’ll stop you on the street and ask for “your papers”. They are a POLICE STATE!
Anybody ever get pulled over/stopped for NO REASON? (try driving around at 2-3 am.) We’re already there!
Any idea how many homes have cameras recording on the street? Just waiting for our council to try to license, tax or regulate that. Ugh!
People who have camera follow them 24/7 with enjoyment called “Kardashians” Prefer no cameras follow me or track my movements as data to be sold or used by police just because they can. Benjamin Franklin speak correctly on cost of security over privacy. Sad so many choose security especially when decision affect privacy of others without their consent.
Methinks the City Attorney needs legal help.
Is there a difference between my camara seeing you or me seeing you?
I’m glad our former DH colleague cast a no vote.
Spot on sir!