Sanibel residents, police weigh in on privacy concerns over use of Flock cameras

The Sanibel Police Department’s use of Flock cameras, which capture images of vehicles and their license plates, has raised privacy concerns among some residents since the city began using the technology in 2022. “When you first said Flock cameras, I thought it was something for birds,” said Maari Simcox, a former Sanibel resident who lived on the island from 2020 to 2022. Simcox added, “If I’m innocent, it’s not something that I need to be too worried about.” On Tuesday, city council members reviewed how the police department uses the information collected by the cameras. Some residents expressed concerns about potential privacy violations, with one individual writing to the council that the city’s contract with Flock Safety “must be canceled immediately.” Sanibel Police Chief William Dalton explained the importance of the cameras for law enforcement. “The license plate readers are just another tool to help us do our job. They are very helpful in investigations, and they are helpful in us keeping this community safe and visitors to the community safe,” Dalton said. Flock cameras take pictures of vehicles and their license plates as well as identifying features like bumper stickers. In the wake of backlash toward the use of its cameras, Flock Safety shortened its standard data retention period for new contracts from 30 days to 7 days. Existing contracts weren't affected. The Sanibel Police Department opted to retain vehicle information for a maximum of one year due to the city’s high number of seasonal residents. “It’s not uncommon for us to say — around October, November or December — to have residents come back to the island and start to report that they had their house broken or something stolen from a car or some jewelry taken or something like that,” Dalton said. Access to the data is limited to police officers, dispatchers and city IT employees. The police department reviews who accesses the data weekly and conducts monthly reviews to check for suspicious patterns of use. “We keep a very close eye on the officers using our Flock cameras,” Dalton said. Simcox acknowledged the concerns of others but shared her own perspective. “I feel like there’s just a lot of concern, of skepticism, probably with authority and how people are using it,” she said. “Maybe it’s my faith, but... I’m not feeling too paranoid about that.” The city has no plans to add more Flock cameras at this time. DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local Gulf Coast app to stream news, entertainment, and original programming on your TV.