100 signatures reached
To: Jan Lee, Bayfield County Board of Supervisors, County Administrator Mark Abeles-Allison, Sheriff Tony Williams, and Chief Deputy Andy Runice
Protect our privacy! Get the Flock (cameras) out of Bayfield County!
Dear Board Chair Jan Lee, Bayfield County Board of Supervisors, County Administrator Mark Abeles-Allison, Sheriff Tony Williams, and Chief Deputy Andy Runice
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First, we’d like to offer a word of thanks for all the work you do in supporting the needs of the people of Bayfield County. We are writing to express our deep concern about a change in the privacy of all people in our county, and to ask for your support in addressing this issue.
It has come to our attention that the Bayfield County Sheriff’s Office has pursued the purchase, installation, and implementation of automatic license plate readers (ALPRs) from Flock Safety on various state highways throughout our county over the last few years. We understand that these cameras are using AI-powered technology to automatically capture images of each passing vehicle, identify them based on license plate as well as vehicle description, and track the patterns of our daily movements.
We believe that use of these cameras is a gross invasion of the privacy of Bayfield County citizens, as well as all people who travel through Bayfield County for any reason.
We believe that the use of these cameras, and the insecure searchable database they contribute to, is a violation of our 4th amendment constitutional rights that protect us from unreasonable search & seizure.
Here is our chief concern: this is a dramatic escalation in the surveillance of all people in Bayfield County, and it occurred without public notice or input from community members.
The signatories of this letter advocate for the following actions to be taken:
1. Cancel the contract with Flock Safety!
2. Remove all Flock cameras from Bayfield County!
3. Hold a public hearing about this issue!
The public hearing should be held to determine whether or not the use of this technology is actually in the best interests of community safety. We would also love to see this be the start of a process for creating a "Declaration On Our Principles Of Privacy" in Bayfield County, to be used as a guiding light in future decisions regarding the implementation of surveillance technology. As this kind of technology develops and spreads, it is paramount that we are thoughtful in our policy making, and that decision makers meaningfully consult the people they claim to represent and protect.
We’re grateful for your attention to this matter and look forward to continuing the dialogue around this important issue affecting our communities.
Signed,
Why is this important?
We are a part of a nation-wide movement to hold our public agencies accountable to the safety and privacy of the people!
Flock Safety is operating with their own profit as the primary motive, and without regard to the numerous damaging effects of their technology.
There is abundant research showing how Flock Safety is not taking concerns about data security seriously, and how they have consistently skirted public discourse to keep selling their products as much as possible, not to mention how mass surveillance is not a real solution to community safety.
To learn more about the movement, check out --> deflock.me <--
Flock Safety is operating with their own profit as the primary motive, and without regard to the numerous damaging effects of their technology.
There is abundant research showing how Flock Safety is not taking concerns about data security seriously, and how they have consistently skirted public discourse to keep selling their products as much as possible, not to mention how mass surveillance is not a real solution to community safety.
To learn more about the movement, check out --> deflock.me <--