Flock Safety no-show at Suffolk public safety meeting
The meeting in Riverhead ended abruptly before Suffolk County Leg. Greg Doroski could question law enforcement officials about the cameras.
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Representatives from Flock Safety were absent Thursday from a Suffolk County Legislature Public Safety Committee meeting where they had been invited to answer questions about the company’s license plate reader technology.
The meeting in Riverhead ended abruptly before Suffolk County Leg. Greg Doroski could question law enforcement officials about the cameras.
As the meeting was adjourned, Doroski asked whether someone from the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department could come forward to answer questions about Flock cameras.
“The meeting is adjourned,” Presiding Officer Anthony Piccirillo said.
Doroski said he was caught off guard by the decision.
“It was a little surprising to me because I do know the presiding officer shares some of these concerns,” Doroski said.
Piccirillo, a Republican from Holtsville, said Doroski did not follow the committee’s procedures for bringing a department representative before the panel.
“The procedure is if you want to bring anyone up from any department you go through the chair or the presiding officer,” Piccirillo said. “None of those procedures were followed.”
Flock ’s automated license plate readers are used by multiple law enforcement agencies across Long Island. The technology has drawn growing scrutiny over privacy concerns and how the information collected by the cameras is stored and used.
News 12’s Eyes on the Road series examined allegations of Flock data being misused in other parts of the country. Some Flock cameras on Long Island were recently damaged or destroyed amid growing opposition to the devices.
Doroski had invited Flock Safety representatives to Thursday’s committee meeting in an effort to get answers amid what he described as growing public concern.
“There’s growing public outcry that we’re seeing around the country and I’m doing my part to try to get answers,” Doroski said.
Piccirillo said he has also been critical of the technology but wants future discussions to follow established committee procedures.
“I’ve been a critic myself of that but we’re going to follow the proper procedures and go through the chair of the committee,” Piccirillo said.
Piccirillo said a Flock Safety representative is expected to attend the committee’s next meeting in October. Members of law enforcement are also expected to testify.
News 12 reached out to a Flock Safety representative for comment but had not received a response.
