SAFFORD — During Monday’s Safford City Council meeting, more than two hours were spent discussing opposition and support of Flock cameras.
But despite the talk, it will take at least one more meeting to know if the cameras still have a future in the city.
Sixteen people asked to speak on the issue of the cameras during the open call to the public, with 13 opposed.
Former City Councilman Chris Taylor said the cameras were originally put into place with little discussion and even less public input.
“There were only a handful of questions before a unanimous vote. There was no meaningful discussion about privacy, no discussion about the long-term implications of creating such a powerful network, and no effort to ask the people of Safford whether we wanted it. And that concerns me,” Taylor said.
Three spoke in favor, including Sheriff P.J. Allred and Graham County Attorney L. Scott Bennett.
Later in the meeting, the council held a work session on the issue, and Police Chief Brian Avila said the cameras have already proved their worth in a number of criminal cases.
He said the cameras have led to successful outcomes in 82 investigations across 17 different crime categories, including 16 stolen vehicles, 11 pursuits, nine burglaries, six thefts and six drug related incidents.
Avila said the cameras only capture license plates on vehicles, and do not contain facial-recognition software. And he said any data collected by the cameras not used in an ongoing investigation is deleted after 30 days.
Avila added that the cameras serve as a “force multiplier” for the relatively small Police Department. He said while the city has a population of about 10,000, his department actually serves about 40,000, thanks to service agreements with the other agencies in the Gila Valley, and most days Safford PD has just three officers and one sergeant on each shift.
“In order for us to up our odds of being successful, it’s great to have help. And this system has worked well in that way,” Avila said.
Safford City Attorney William Sims said he is working with Flock to “tighten up” language in the contract between the provider and the city, but has not yet heard back from Flock’s attorneys. Once that occurs, the amended contract can come back to the City Council for review and action. He also said Safford Police’s policy on the handling of data gathered by the cameras is being used as the template for other cities using the cameras.
City Manager Eric Bejarano said the city could also host a “conversation” about the cameras with the public and members of the City Council, which would allow for give-and-take rather than speeches.
