Sanibel city council continues to debate flock us on the island

SANIBEL, Fla. (WINK)—Sanibel City Council members have not decided whether to turn the Flock cameras off or if the city will continue to use them long-term.

Instead, they will look into alternative camera companies and asked Sanibel Police to limit Flock camera use and not share collected data while City Council works on an ordinance and resolution for Flock camera use.

The city of Sanibel has three Flock cameras placed around the island.

City documents say the Flock cameras take photos of license plates, cars and track traffic count information used for public safety and traffic management purposes. The Flock cameras do not record audio, have face recognition or advanced surveillance capabilities.

The city says all data belongs to Sanibel, but Flock can access the data for internal use to make improvements to the technology. While City Council was split, wanting police to have access to tools like Flock cameras, they also want to protect island residents from invasive surveillance.

The Sanibel Police Department is tightening restrictions on how officers can use its Flock camera system following privacy concerns raised last month.

Under the new policy, line-level officers and sergeants can only search cameras within Southwest Florida. Statewide or nationwide searches now require approval from command staff, including the captain, deputy chief or police analyst.

"Our line level officers and sergeants and lieutenants can only search what we were defining as like a Southwest Florida group of cameras," William Dalton, Sanibel Police Chief, said. "If you want or you have a need to search statewide or nationwide, you have to get a permission or you have to have one of the command staff do it for you."

The department has been conducting audits on the system since last year and has found no misuse. The cameras have proven valuable for solving crimes, with approximately 80% of people arrested on Sanibel coming from off the island.

"Folks are coming onto the island, committing crimes, and leaving," Dalton said. "So it's very effective in helping with that."

Notable cases include identifying a suspect who placed cameras in bathrooms at Bowman's Beach. Officers used the system to identify the vehicle type through beach cameras, then tracked when it left the island to obtain a license plate and identify the suspect.

The department is also revising its memorandum of understanding with Flock to limit how customer data can be used. The new agreement restricts Flock to using data only to provide services and support system improvements, rather than the broader permissions previously allowed.

 "I think it's valuable. We want to keep it. We should keep it because of our vulnerability, if you will. And then let's try to tweak it so that we can improve our systems, but not throw the baby out with the bathwater," said Vice Mayor, John Henshaw. 

Some council members questioned whether the benefits of participating in a nationwide network justify potential privacy concerns, particularly if the system primarily helps other agencies solve crimes. However, others argued that drivers should not expect privacy on public roads.

The department emphasized that Sanibel's limited camera setup does not allow for tracking individuals' movements like systems in other cities. The cameras only capture data when vehicles pass through specific points.

Next month, City Council members will review a draft ordinance and resolution draft related to Flock camera use and see if restrictions to the technology impact police work. As cities and counties across the state are discussing how they will utilize license plate readers, the city of Sanibel is joining in that discussion related to their three Flock cameras on the island.