Macon residents criticize Flock contract, ask commissioners to reconsider
As Macon-Bibb County commissioners consider whether to continue funding Flock Safety cameras around the city, residents asked the board Tuesday to reconsider their usage.
The comments followed a fiscal year 2027 budget hearing on May 19 where Mayor Lester Miller asked for fund increases across various public safety departments.
Residents spoke specifically about the surveillance and privacy controversies surrounding Flock cameras, which have become a concern throughout the U.S., according to multiple news sources.
Miller said Tuesday that public safety is the county’s highest priority. Funding for public safety represents roughly 57% of a more than $221 million budget.
Miller proposed that:
- Macon-Bibb County Fire Department receive more than $34 million, a roughly $7.2 million increase from last year
- Bibb County Sheriff’s Office receive $61.5 million, a $13.3 million increase from last year
- Emergency Management Agency should receive more than $811,000, a roughly $76,000 increase from last year
- Code enforcement should receive $2.1 million, a roughly $100,000 increase from last year
- The local court system should receive more than $26 million, a $300,000 decrease from last year
- Coroner’s Office should receive about $770,000, a $10,000 increase from last year.
Miller also asked commissioners on Tuesday to renew Macon-Bibb’s contract with ShotSpotter, a gunshot-detecting software, at a cost of $524,000 per year for three years — more than $1.5 million. Commissioners approved the request.
“Keep in mind, this is (ShotSpotter), not Flock cameras. This is entirely different. We funded this item here through (the American Rescue Plan Act), and now it’s funded through our reserve-sponsored accounts,” Miller said. “As we look at the budget for next year, we’ll look at whether or not we want to renew that again and whether or not we’ll take that out of the general fund or any other sponsored money.”
Commissioners will vote on whether to move forward with funding Flock cameras on June 16.
The Bibb County Sheriff’s Office has used the Flock cameras since June 2023. It is unclear how much the city has spent on the cameras so far.
Opinions on Flock
Flock Safety has experienced several data breaches in the past year. Many cities that used the cameras ended their contracts with the company as a result, according to multiple news sources.
Concerns over the controversies surrounding Flock led many around the nation to urge officials to stop using the system. Residents in Macon followed suit.
Aiden Leahy said using the cameras would exacerbate racial profiling by installing them in poor neighborhoods and primarily targeting Black residents. Footage also can be given to immigration enforcement agencies to conduct raids.
“I understand the critical need to mitigate crime within Macon-Bibb County,” Leahy said. “I’ve had my car broken into downtown within the past year, not 200 feet from a Flock camera that’s already been set up. But Flock cameras and any technology that turns all Macon residents into prospective criminals are not resolving this issue.”
Benjamin Tiernan proposed improving the budget for the county’s Parks and Recreation Department rather than public safety. Miller said the department should receive about $8 million, which is a roughly $200,000 increase from last year.
“We could be taking this money to drive up public safety by creating third spaces and a wonderful environment for our citizens to spend time in, rather than criminalizing them and creating a carceral state,” Tiernan said. “I think we’ve all read ‘1984’ and realized that that’s a terrible way to run things, and I would much prefer that we have a basketball court that is easily walkable from any neighborhood nearby.”
According to FlockHopper, an app that shows users how many Flock cameras are on their route, law enforcement agencies across Georgia are using Flock cameras.
Earlier this year, Dunwoody, Ga., one of the first adopters of the system, decided to hold back on signing its contract due to questions around data access, according to reporting from WABE.
Sheriff responds
Sheriff David Davis spoke in favor of Flock cameras, claiming it was “one of the most significant advancements, and one of the significant tools that we have seen come into law enforcement.”
“There is room for adjustment, but the things that the Flock cameras have done for us have helped, in my view, make our community safer,” Davis said.
Davis said there had been nearly 100 violent crime cases where suspects were identified through Flock cameras. He also said the sheriff’s office recovers an average of 20 stolen vehicles each month. Missing individuals are also recovered and returned to their families using the technology, according to Davis.
“In each one of those cases, we have a victim who has some peace of mind to find that the person who committed an offense against them, who injured them, has now been brought to justice,” Davis said. “You also have a dangerous individual, a potentially dangerous individual that would … harm our community has been brought to justice.”
Davis acknowledged residents’ concerns regarding privacy, but said the sheriff’s office doesn’t have unlimited access to Flock’s data. He said that all investigators must link an ongoing criminal investigation to view the Flock footage.
“We do not have time to spend our time surveilling or watching law-abiding citizens; we’re too busy solving crimes and saving lives with the Flock cameras,” Davis said.
