Now, Jackson Police Chief RaShall Brackney announced the department would not be renewing its contract with Flock Safety.
The original contract was signed in September 2024, with 16 Flock cameras being placed around the capital city.
City Councilman Vernon Hartley from Ward 5 said the council does not know the specific reason why the police department decided not to renew the contract. He said he has not been made aware of any abuse of the technology by JPD.
“I think the basic thing is we have to ensure that we use all the tools we can use and that we have procedures in place, safeguards in place to make sure there's no misuse,” Hartley said.
He said that once the cameras are taken down, the council will investigate alternative technology.
“We need all the tools available at our disposal to fight crime within the city of Jackson. AI and technology can help,” Hartley said. “We're not turning away from the use within our crime fighting efforts, but anytime we employ something like this, we do make a serious effort to make sure there are safeguards and procedures in place.”
Law experts say there are multiple ways to prevent or handle misuse of the technology. Dr. Alan Thompson with the University of Southern Mississippi says one way is for law enforcement agencies to implement regulation policies and monitoring of Flock Camera access.
“So police departments could, for example, very specifically restrict access and permissions that are required to use that information. They can set up and develop internal auditing and reporting mechanisms, where they can audit who's accessing the system,” Thompson said.
Having guidelines and restrictions, Thompson said, would result in more accountability when handling data collected by Flock.
Other experts like Matt Steffey with the Mississippi Christian University School of Law said another concern is how collected information is being stored or distributed to other companies. Steffey pointed out that mass surveillance and information collection is a key concern for citizens when it comes to Flock Safety.
“...it's not just criminals that their whereabouts become relevant. It's the constant marketing and information gathering and data mining that we're all subject to,” Steffey said. “It feels like that sort of a record or a map of all of your everyday activities feels intrusive.”
It is not clear when the current Flock contract ends with the city of Jackson, but cameras are expected to be taken down once it has ended.Hartley said the city council will discuss alternative technology to help continue solving and preventing crimes.
