The Quincy Police Department has switched off its Flock cameras, the automated license plate readers (ALPRs) mounted around the city, and will move to a different system that the department owns and runs itself. Mayor Tom Koch and Police Chief Mark Kennedy announced the change on Friday, Oct. 23, four days after the Quincy City Council voted 8-1 to urge the city to remove the cameras.
What Quincy is replacing the Flock cameras with
According to the City of Quincy’s announcement, police will move to an ALPR system that uses cameras made by Axis Communications and software from OdinEye. The city said the new setup will let the department “maintain sole ownership of any data.”
The department’s existing rules will carry over to the new system, the city said. Searches are allowed only for active criminal cases, only a limited number of personnel can use the system, and all data is wiped within 14 days.
Quincy had 50 Flock cameras, Kennedy told Boston.com. The outlet reported that most Massachusetts communities using Flock have said they run fewer than 10 cameras. The city has not said when the new cameras will be installed or what they will cost.
What the mayor and police chief said
“This is a strong good-faith effort to strike a balance between the investigative value of this technology and the legitimate concerns raised by our residents and across the nation about the Flock system,” Koch said in the city’s release.
“This transition reflects our willingness to listen, reassess, and adapt,” Kennedy said. “It also reflects our recognition that public trust is essential to effective policing.”
Both officials said in the release that the cameras are not used for surveillance. The city said they capture images of vehicles and license plates, not faces, on public roads, and that investigators search those images only as part of a valid police investigation.
The city council vote that came first
On Monday, Oct. 19, the Quincy City Council passed a non-binding resolve urging the administration to remove all Flock Safety cameras, The Quincy Sun reported. Councillors Ziqiang Susan Yuan and Virginia Ryan introduced it, and Councillor Noel DiBona cast the only vote against.
The resolve asked the city to end its contracts with Flock and other ALPR vendors, have the 50 cameras removed, report back to the council, and put any future ALPR contract up for public discussion and council approval. Residents had raised concerns at earlier council meetings, including a public hearing on Oct. 6, the Sun reported.
Kennedy told the Sun after the vote that he was disappointed with the resolution but would “work with the administration to further examine our use of this technology and make appropriate changes.” The city’s new plan replaces the vendor rather than ending the use of plate readers, which the council’s resolve had also asked to put before councillors before any new contract is signed. The city’s release does not say whether the Axis contract will go to the council.
Flock cameras across Massachusetts
Quincy is one of a growing number of Massachusetts communities to drop Flock. WCVB reported that at least 18 municipalities in the state have stopped using the cameras.
On Beacon Hill, a bill filed by Rep. Steve Owens of Watertown and Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa (H 3755) would limit how police use ALPR data, including a 14-day retention cap unless the data is tied to a criminal investigation, according to the State House News Service via NBC Boston. The Transportation Committee’s House members endorsed it 11-0 in March, and it has since been in the House Ways and Means Committee.
Boston’s City Council has also looked at tighter rules on police technology. Read our earlier coverage: Boston City Council eyes tighter police surveillance rules. For more from Quincy, see our Lunar New Year guide, including the Quincy festival, and more Quincy news.
Sources
- City of Quincy: Quincy Police to Change Plate Reader Technology (Oct. 23, 2026): new vendor, data rules, quotes.
- The Quincy Sun: City Councillors Want Flock Out Of Quincy (Oct. 20, 2026): 8-1 resolve, sponsors, Kennedy’s response.
- Boston.com: Quincy ends Flock cameras (Oct. 25, 2026): 50-camera count, comparison with other towns.
- NBC Boston / State House News Service: As Flock contracts fall, Mass. legislature starts to eye guardrails (Sept. 9, 2026): H 3755.
Additional sources
- WCVB: Quincy to deactivate Flock cameras, mayor says: statewide count of towns dropping Flock.
- Massachusetts Legislature: Bill H.3755: bill text and status.
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