Columbia City Council members agreed Tuesday to hold a public hearing on the city’s Flock camera system, months before the surveillance technology’s contract is up for renewal. Council member Christina Hartman proposed the motion during Tuesday’s meeting.
The council approved the Flock system in October 2024. Since then, the community has raised concerns about privacy and the use of automated license plate reader technology during community discussions about the system.
Council members debated the wording of the motion at the end of the meeting Tuesday night, with the discussion continuing for about 30 minutes. Hartman’s original motion called for a public hearing to discuss the potential renewal or discontinuation of Flock, but council members questioned whether mentioning cancellation would give residents the impression that cancellation was already being considered as the likely outcome.
“If we word it that we want to have a public hearing to discuss cancellation, people are going to come in with the presumption that that’s going to be the decision,” said Third Ward council member Jacque Sample.
In addition to the proposed public hearing, Columbia Police Department Chief Jill Schlude proposed that council members meet in a closed session to view the Flock system in its entirety. Schlude also proposed that council members meet with Flock representatives in the coming weeks to ask questions and review data from the system.
Schlude also suggested providing an educational presentation for the public and the council about the Flock system during the proposed public hearing.
Mayor Barbara Buffaloe agreed to the motion, but suggested narrowing it down.
“One of my recommendations with this is that I want a more robust plan,” she said.
Hartman ultimately made the motion and said, “I would like a public hearing to discuss the Flock cameras.”
The motion passed unanimously without additional amendments.
Council members discussed the need for additional staff and community engagement, including possible listening sessions beyond the public hearing. The council did not set a date for the hearing and will continue discussing the Flock system and potential next steps before the city’s contract comes up for renewal in March.
