Columbia City Council to hold public hearing on Flock cameras

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Columbia City Council is set to hold a public hearing on Flock cameras Monday to consider community input on the system.

The meeting will allow officials and residents to discuss the automated license plate readers and the city's contract with Flock, which ends in March 2027.

Ward 5 Councilwoman Christina Hartman first brought up the idea of a public hearing in September, after growing public concerns were raised at previous meetings and online.

The Columbia Police Department has publicly defended Flock technology, saying it played a major role in identifying suspects connected to an Oct. 31 downtown shooting.

The department says it used video footage to identify suspects and make seven arrests in connection with the shooting. CPD also detained a 16-year-old boy.

Mayor Barbara Buffaloe said that there are certain safeguards in place for Columbia's Flock system.

"Not just anyone can access it. It has to be tied to a case number. There are certain safeguards in place that they're not necessarily in all the other cities, especially in some of the cities that were early adopters," Buffaloe said.

The Flock camera system was first approved in Columbia in Oct. 2024.

According to Columbia's Flock Transparency Portal, there is a total of 114 license plate readers and other cameras in Columbia, and 877,509 vehicles have been detected in the last 30 days.

In August, the Jefferson City Council renewed its contract with Flock. Documents show the new agreement runs through May 2027 and will cost the city $51,000.

The Jefferson City Police Department has previously said Flock cameras have helped solve three homicides.

Maries County and Pulaski County recently ended their contracts with Flock.

The Monday meeting will be held at the City Hall Council Chamber at 6 p.m.