Huntington approves Flock camera contract after hours of debate

Huntington, West Virginia, approved resolutions allowing Mayor Patrick Farrell to enter the city into a contract with Flock, whose network uses automated license plate reader cameras. The city council voted 6-4 after more than seven hours of public comment and debate.

Farrell said Flock cameras had helped police locate suspects in two cases: the killing of 33-year-old Jackie Harper, whose suspected killer was found in another state, and an earlier double killing of a middle school basketball coach and his brother, a city worker. He also pointed to unsolved killings of four teenagers on prom night more than 20 years ago, asking what the technology might have done in that case.

Many residents who addressed the council raised concerns about privacy and surveillance, including the possibility that the recordings could be abused by the company or police officers with access. Some council members said the proposed contract did not adequately protect the city from potential lawsuits. They also questioned whether the decision had to be made then, given the strength of local opposition.

The vote followed a failed motion to table the contract indefinitely. Councilmember Holly Smith Mount voted against it. The debate took place in a city that residents and officials described as having endured repeated tragedies, including a 1970s plane crash that killed 37 members of Marshall University’s football team, coaches and staff, as well as a long-running drug epidemic.