Town Council Ends Barnstable’s Licence-Plate Camera Contract

Bybilly

The Barnstable Town Council voted on September 3 to end the Town’s use of Flock licence-plate cameras. The cameras photograph passing vehicles and record their plates. The Town had four of them.

The resolve was sponsored by Councilor Seth W. Burdick of Precinct 7. It directs the Town Manager “to terminate as expeditiously as possible the Town’s relationship with Flock Group, Inc.” and tells the Police Department to have the readers “promptly deactivated and removed from their locations within the town.”

The part that matters most

The vote did more than end one contract. From now on, any licence-plate reader of any kind “by the Police Department shall require prior Town Council approval”. A decision to watch the roads now has to be made in public, by people who answer to voters.

Why it came up

The item’s own rationale gives both sides. It calls the readers “a law enforcement tool used by police departments throughout Massachusetts and the country to locate missing persons and stolen vehicles and track down suspects.”

It then lists the concerns raised “by civil liberties groups and by citizens”: that “these camera networks have the ability to track the movements of citizens without a warrant”, that police in other states could use the network “for purposes that are illegal in Massachusetts”, and questions about “how data is retained and shared”.

The rationale adds: “A number of cities and towns in Massachusetts have recently taken steps to discontinue their use of this technology.”

What we still do not know

  • The cost. The agenda says: “There may be costs associated with terminating the Town’s relationship with Flock. Those costs are unknown at this time.”
  • The vote count. The Town’s summary says only: “The item was approved.” The minutes were not yet posted when we wrote this.
  • Whether the cameras are down yet. We found no public statement either way.

Police Chief Jean Challies and Detective Lieutenant Joe Green presented to the Council before the vote.

Sources: Town Council agenda, September 3, 2026, Item 2027-032; Town of Barnstable meeting summary, September 4, 2026.