Fredonia Residents Speak Out Against Flock Cameras at County Legislature Meeting

A handful of Fredonia residents, including two elected officials, are calling on Chautauqua County to end use of Flock surveillance cameras in the village. Four people spoke during this week's County Legislature meeting in Mayville about their concerns over District Attorney Jason Schmidt's Office having 10 cameras installed in various places in the county, most of them in the Dunkirk-Fredonia area. One was Pomfret Town Councilman Mike Lee, who says municipal leaders were never informed about the cameras being installed...

Mike Lee: did not consult with municipal leadership

Lee expressed concern over already documented cases of a police officer using Flock technology to stalk an ex-girlfriend. Fredonia Village Trustee Christine Cruz-Keefe said her constituents have several concerns over what the cameras are being used for...

Christine Cruz-Keefe: what data is being collected

Since Flock is a private company, Mitchell Cummings questioned whether facial recognition may be used, especially with a camera overlooking Barker Common, where protests are sometimes held...

Mitchell Cummings: what's happened in China

Another resident, Patrick Prawel-Sexton, noted that there have been several instances of Flock misreading license plates or producing incorrect information...

Patrick Prawel-Sexton: don't appreciate living in fear

No one from the District Attorney's Office was at the meeting, and no legislators spoke in response to the comments.

Images and audio from Chautauqua County Government