Downtown Lowell, Massachusetts, with its historic mill buildings and canals

Photo: Quintin Soloviev, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0 (file photo of the area, not of the events described)

Lowell Flock Cameras Back With Limits; Public Demo Proposed

Lowell reinstated Flock license plate cameras with limits on data sharing, InsideLowell reports, as two councilors seek a public demonstration.

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By Jenna Caldwell, The Boston Report

LOWELL — Lowell police can use Flock license plate cameras again, but with new limits on sharing, according to a report published Oct. 27 by InsideLowell. Two city councilors are also asking the city to hold a public demonstration of the technology.

The cameras had been switched off after a 6-5 City Council vote on Sept. 22. InsideLowell reported that the council reinstated them in a more limited form during an executive session at a later meeting. Executive sessions are closed to the public.

What changed

According to InsideLowell, the cameras came back with a condition: Lowell police may not share the technology with other law enforcement agencies, or with Flock itself, without city approval.

Mayor Erik Gitschier told the outlet he “could not comment on matters discussed during executive session.” InsideLowell said other councilors and city officials either gave similar answers or did not respond.

Flock Safety sells automated license plate readers, known as ALPRs. The cameras photograph passing vehicles and record plate numbers, times and locations. Police can search that data, for example to look for a stolen car or a vehicle linked to a crime.

Why the cameras were paused

The September vote to suspend the cameras came amid privacy concerns about how license plate data is stored and shared. Boston 25 News reported at the time that the council voted to suspend use while the city reviewed its policy, audits and data protections.

The vote also started a public back-and-forth between the mayor and Flock over what the company does with the data, InsideLowell reported. Flock has denied selling Lowell’s data.

Lowell is one of several Massachusetts communities that have reviewed these systems this fall. Neighboring Tewksbury’s police chief announced on Sept. 25 that the town would remove its Flock cameras. In Quincy, the city deactivated its Flock cameras after an 8-1 council resolution. Our earlier story covers Quincy’s Flock decision.

A public demonstration proposed

The Lowell City Council agenda for Oct. 27 includes a joint motion from Councilors Corey Robinson and John Descoteaux. It asks the city manager to have the proper departments work together to offer a public Flock camera demonstration, followed by a question-and-answer session.

Robinson recently wrote an opinion piece about an ALPR demonstration he attended, InsideLowell reported.

If the motion passes, it would be up to the city manager and departments to set the date, place and format. A public session would give residents a chance to see how the system works and ask questions about data retention and access.

Questions residents may have

InsideLowell’s report does not describe the full terms of the reinstatement beyond the sharing limit. Details such as how long data is kept, who inside the department can search it, and how searches are audited were not reported. Those are the kinds of questions a public demonstration could address.

Because the decision was made in executive session, the public record of the vote may be limited until minutes are released. Massachusetts open meeting law allows public bodies to keep executive session minutes private until the purpose of the session is no longer served.

How to follow along

Lowell City Council meetings are held at City Hall and are broadcast by the city. Agendas, including motions like the Flock demonstration request, are posted on the city website.

For more Lowell coverage, see our Lowell local news and city guide, our report on Lowell’s new women’s shelter, and the Local Towns hub.

Sources

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