Public Safety: Flock Cameras

In 2022, the city of Providence entered a costly contract that greatly expanded federal capabilities of surveillance. Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs or LPRs) are AI-powered cameras that capture and analyze images of all passing vehicles, storing details like your car's location, date, and time.

Today, there are 60 flock cameras across our city and these cameras have been proven to be expensive, costing the city $160,000 yearly. In 2025, the American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island(ACLU) raised serious concerns that these cameras could be used to map anyone’s whereabouts throughout their day.

Across the country, there have been confirmed cases of Flock sharing local data and footage with unauthorized third parties, including Trump Administration agencies like‍ ICE. This is despite Flock claiming that local data would not be shared or used for coordinated efforts around immigration enforcement. In response, dozens of municipalities have ended their contracts with Flock.

Building off of the Providence City Council’s ordinance to strengthen personal data privacy protections with Flock, the Morales Administration will direct the City of Providence’s Internal Auditor to audit Providence's existing agreement with Flock along with an independent audit of Providence Police and partner agencies use of Flock cameras. If warrantless searches or unauthorized data sharing is uncovered, David will work to terminate Providence’s existing agreement with cause (which would shield the city from having to pay early termination liability).