Columbia City Council to hold public hearing on Flock cameras
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Columbia's City Council passed a motion on Tuesday to hold a public hearing to discuss Flock cameras.
The public hearing will allow officials and the public to speak on Flock cameras and options, as the city's contract with Flock will be up in March 2027.
Ward 5 Councilwoman Christina Hartman first brought up the idea of a public hearing at Tuesday's City Council meeting. This is after growing concerns from the public were brought up at previous meetings and online.
Hartman introduced the topic saying that just as these things take time to put up, they also take time to take down, and she did not want to wait until the last minute to have the conversation.
"I think that that we need to really understand what the community wants. And so in order to do that, we need to have public hearing for that," Hartman said.
During the meeting, the topic for nearly 45 minutes, with the majority agreeing that the topic needed to be publicly discussed before March.
When speaking about Flock cameras, recently elected Ward 4 Councilwoman Sharon Jones said she and Hartman want a timely discussion.
"We are wanting to hear from members of the public, and we are wanting to hear from staff what our options are for cancellation and what a real timeline is for renewal," Jones said.
The Flock camera system was first approved in October 2024.
Dan Viets, Presdeint of the Mid Missouri Civil Liberties Associations, told ABC 17 News on Friday that he hopes this meeting means the council is reconsidering Flock.
"Flock cameras place everyone under surveillance at all times," Viets said. "There is no need for that. It is not worth the tradeoff. I'm sure it's helpful to law enforcement if they can just look up where we all are at all times. But that's not something that should be tolerated in a free society," Viet added.
Viets said that hopes that in this public meeting, the City Council will hear peoples opinions.
"I hope they're looking to, learn more about the cameras and about why people object to them. You know, many communities, more than 500 communities across the country have terminated their contracts with the Flock Corporation right here in Missouri, Saint Charles County, Pulaski County," said Viets.
In August, Pulaski County terminated their contract with Flock after holding a community forum to receive feedback on Flock.
ABC 17 News reached out to Hartman and Mayor Barbara Buffaloe.
