New Flock camera placed at downtown Columbia intersection following brawl, shots-fired incident
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
If you're walking through downtown Columbia, you may notice a new Flock camera at the intersection of Ninth Street and Walnut Street.
The camera comes as University of Missouri System President Mun Choi has called the area a "danger zone" in a series of emails to city leaders following high-profile incidents along East Walnut Street. One incident was a brawl that led to seven arrests on July 26 and another was a shots-fired incident that occurred this past weekend that led to felony charges being filed.
Columbia Police Chief Jill Schlude told ABC 17 News the camera was installed on Tuesday, adding that it is a live camera included in Flock's video package that officers can monitor in real time.
“We originally planned to put one in that area of Walnut (I don’t remember if it was at Ninth Street or 10th St.) but had issues with getting a power supply to the camera, and the solar-type camera was not functioning correctly," Schulde told ABC 17 in an email. "When this issue happened, we looked at the Ninth and Walnut location and got some temporary power hooked up until utilities can get something more permanent rigged up.”
The camera is one of Flock's pan-tilt-zoom, or PTZ, cameras. The cameras are designed to monitor areas such as parking lots, intersections, and parks.
The new camera is one of the more than 100 Flock cameras installed across Columbia after the City Council approved additional surveillance technology in 2024.
During the system's first year of use, Columbia police reported 5,521 Flock alerts. Of those, 2,877 were linked to outstanding warrants, 1,452 involved stolen license plates and 1,192 were connected to stolen vehicles.
Police said the department only shares its Flock data with other law enforcement agencies in Missouri.
The use of Flock cameras has drawn scrutiny nationally, however, with privacy advocates raising concerns about data sharing and law enforcement access.
A national tracker of Flock contracts lists dozens of communities that have ended their agreements amid concerns about privacy, data sharing and law enforcement access.
Columbia police told ABC 17 News earlier this month that, despite concerns from some residents, the department has no plans to cancel its Flock contract. Police have described the technology as a valuable tool for the department.
The city's current contract with Flock expires in March 2027.
