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NEW BEDFORD — The city’s police department is temporarily suspending its use of the controversial Flock camera system, according to an email the police chief sent Tuesday afternoon to officers and a press release.
The announcement comes a day after The Light inquired with the department about allegations that a police officer used the system to track her ex-girlfriend, and hours after The Light inquired again after obtaining detailed court records.
According to a press release, “internal investigations have been opened, and one officer has been placed on administrative leave. The investigations remain active, and no further information will be released at this time.”
The suspension takes effect “while we conduct a comprehensive review of the department’s use of the system and our policies and procedures governing its use,” Police Chief Jason Thody wrote to staff. He joined the department after the system had been in use for about half a year.
“I have directed a review of how the system has been utilized since its implementation. This review is not intended to diminish the value of Flock as an investigative resource. Rather, it is an opportunity to ensure that we have appropriate safeguards, access controls, information-sharing practices, documentation, and oversight in place,” Thody wrote in the email to officers.
Per the email, the department will seek input from the “appropriate stakeholders” to determine “whether any changes are necessary going forward.”
Thody said he recognized the benefits of Flock technology for public safety and solving crimes, but wrote that the technology requires “safeguards and accountability.”
Email Anastasia E. Lennon at alennon@newbedfordlight.org.
Thank you, New Bedford Light, for calling our attention to this important issue, and for following up on actions that will be taken in the future concerning this kind of technology. It is important for the public to understand that Flock Safety License Plate Readers are a completely different thing from conventional license plate cameras.
Chief Thody – “the appropriate stakeholders” are the people of New Bedford.
That’s correct Mr. Nunes. In addition as a former IT Support Specialist with over 30 years of experience, I have seen many of technological trends… Not regulating the use of these devices by the “Trusted” individuals as public servants number is a violation of Public Trust! 2nd, take notice that this FLOCK system has been in place since 2024, and there are other officer(s) in Mass, and Georgia to date have been accused of misusing these technologies for personal business or stalking ex’s and so on, so this isn’t something just happening here, furthermore, as I stated earlier, I have been in the IT field and worked in State positions for MA and RI, in addition, I took more notice of misuse when I left state service because in IT, the better salaries exist in the “Private” sector, that no matter the Industry (Financial, Healthcare, Government Consulting Companies around the DC,VA,MD area) where non-disclosure agreements and HIPPA Laws in Healthcare are usually in place and as an employee of some of the employers require (Confidentiality) and have pretty hefty penalties for exposing this sort of information publicly for any reason is forbidden and automatic termination as well as criminal and or civil charges can be levied upon the individual(s) that break(s)the confidentiality of client/patient information… Nevertheless, my point is these technologies have been in place for a long time here and many other municipalities across the US and Abroad… How long have people in these positions been violating people’s privacy for profit or criminal purposes? From my perspective, there’s more to on FLOCK and AI, above all else, I Trust people, I don’t Trust the Devil that lives in us all and having safeguards should’ve implemented with the expectation that the risk of misuse or abuse by average people and more importantly people in positions of Authority will and can abuse their positions, until someone gets caught (Like a Derailed Train) do the Police at local and state and federal levels do something to hopefully prevent these occurrences as well as means for catching people that Abuse Public Trust!
Dear Mr. Russell,
As an IT specialist, you might be happy to know that one of the City Council resolutions on the agenda for their next meeting on August 20,2026 recommends that both legal and tech experts participate in both policy formation and technology selection for ALPR and other technology purchases by the city.
Of the four resolutions about this topic, I like Resolution 15 the best because it also addresses the collecting and sharing of data and the safeguards that need to be in place and it brings up the need for possible additional policies or ordinances that should be in place to protect the public and the city.
We need this kind of participation by legal and tech experts because the technology is evolving faster than our laws. With the increasing use of AI in all aspects of our government and our lives, we need to protect our rights and we need to protect the city from future lawsuits.
Here is the link to the August 20 City Council Agenda
:
https://granicus_production_attachments.s3.amazonaws.com/newbedford-ma/bf7ea72aebaf00971c83c02541ab33a90.html
This meeting on Thursday, August 20 at 7:00 PM can be lives-streamed :
From top of Agenda for Aug 20th City Council Meeting:
NOTE: THIS MEETING IS BEING LIVE STREAMED AND RECORDED. CITY COUNCIL AND COMMITTEE MEETINGS CAN BE VIEWED ON THE CITY OF NEW BEDFORD’S HOMEPAGE UNDER QUICK LINKS, THEN MEETINGS. (To the right of the meeting agenda link, an event link will appear when the live-stream begins>)
Here is the link:
https://www.newbedford-ma.gov/meetings/
It can also be viewed live on Comcast Cable Channel 18
Here we go, the far left lunatics are going to run this city in to the ground.
Being aware of existing privacy violations by this technology does not make people who object to this “far left lunatics”. On the contrary, it makes them concerned citizens who realize when their constitutional rights could be or are being violated. Citizen participation is essential in a democratic republic. That is why citizens and government officials need to know about the following when license plate reader technology is being considered for our community.
When properly regulated, speed cameras don’t pose the same threats to privacy as license-plate-reader surveillance
https://www.aclum.org/news/were-privacy-hawks-heres-why-were-alarmed-by-license-plate-readers-and-not-necessarily-by-speed-cameras/
Security vulnerabilities of Flock software
https://simeononsecurity.com/articles/flock-safety-camera-security-vulnerabilities-research-2026/
Changes in Flock contract terms
https://www.aclu.org/news/privacy-technology/tracking-alpr-cameras/flocks-terms-and-conditions
Data privacy law
https://www.aclum.org/campaigns-initiatives/data-privacy-now/
Another “far left lunatic” article:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/license-plate-reader-cameras-stir-controversy-over-privacy-concerns-morning-in-america/vi-AA29rUC2
Libertarian here. Democracy is incompatible with mass surveillance. You are not free if you’re being tracked. This is not a leftist issue, this is an American issue.
This is the same exact situation that was brought up at the informational hearing on Flock cameras ! TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE! Hopefully the Chief will keep this suspension of use in place until we have had hearings/city council mtgs.
As far as lunatic lefties running this city into the ground …..RUN BABY RUN!
Sad to see the comments here, the criminals in New Bedford will clearly benefit from this, and must be jumping for joy. This will only increase criminal activity and make New Bedford a more dangerous city.
This is what’s referred to as hysterical hyperbole.
Police officers across the country and around the world have managed to do their jobs for decades without this kind of excessive and needless surveillance.
Thank you NB Light – if we didn’t have you on the scene – God knows what the city and state would be up to. Always supported local journalism….and now I’m proud to support your organization.
Give us all a break, the nb light sees and report things one way (Far Left), they omit comments that are not left leaning, and will never be known for being fair and balanced publication.
Thanks to the light for letting the gang bangers know, they can shoot up the city, because all the cameras have been put out of commission.
Flock cameras are just another layer of defense. I’m all for mass surveillance in this state. At work we have AI cameras that clock is in and out everyday, we have enhanced observation on the production floor and security camera in the warehouse. Get used to it because we have no need for actual security guards who fall asleep and leave you defenseless. We also don’t have late employees or people who refuse to wear PPE anymore- all the slackers are gone.
So when it comes to public protection where one camera can observe, investigate, track and get to know you better than ten cops. Also, no one mentions the benefits of federal agency oversight of our fishing vessels. The flock cameras can keep them safe too which is why we want Flock AI to replace the one dimensional vessel tracking currently used.
Ameraca First…1A second
An employee can choose to leave one place of employment for another, but a pedestrian or motorist can not always choose alternate routes to work, medical appointments, etc.
When the awesome power of the state can target an individual, that individual is literally defenseless. This happens all the time in authoritarian governments, where citizens who disagree publicly with government policy can be arrested for their words or associations and whisked off to jail without due process. This is how they remove political opponents and stay in power for decades. Having cameras in our public areas puts us that much closer to being a surveillance state like the People’s Republic of China. I believe that most people would not want to live there or live under the same conditions.