South Kingstown, Rhode Island removes Flock cameras after privacy vote

8 August 2026. [AI first draft. Verify every fact against the source before publishing.]

South Kingstown, Rhode Island voted unanimously on July 27 to terminate its contract with Flock Safety and remove the license plate reader cameras from the town. The decision came after a public work session that included Flock Safety director Trevor Chandler and South Kingstown Police Chief Matthew Moynihan. According to Town Manager James Manning, eight cameras were approved under the contract, with seven already operational. The purchase order was issued July 8, 2025, the agreement was signed July 16 and 17, 2025, and the one-year trial period began February 19 after the first camera was installed and validated.

Council members acknowledged that the technology could assist in emergencies and investigations but concluded that privacy risks outweighed potential public safety benefits. Council President Rory McEntee and Councilmember Patricia Alley raised concerns that plate-reader systems can reveal sensitive information about individuals' movements, including work locations, places of worship, residences, and medical facilities. Council Vice President Michael Marran stressed that the concern was not about current police practices but about potential future access by other entities if political or legal circumstances changed. Flock Safety argued that South Kingstown's setup was restrictive, with data retention limited to 30 days, no facial recognition capability, and data sharing restricted through memorandums of understanding to six Rhode Island agencies.

The debate reflects broader questions about automated license plate reader policies in Rhode Island. Little Compton has rejected a Flock installation, while Tiverton moved to expand its program despite resident opposition. South Kingstown's decision highlights the foundational questions municipalities face when evaluating surveillance tools: contract timelines, active camera counts, data retention periods, search authorization procedures, audit mechanisms, and potential third-party access provisions. Residents in other communities can check town council agendas and records requests to determine whether similar contracts or renewals are under consideration locally.

Read the original reporting: The Cool Down.