York is removing Flock cameras amid residents’ surveillance concerns
York Police to Remove Flock License‑Plate Cameras Amid Town‑Wide Debate
York’s police department announced it will begin taking down its license‑plate–reading cameras on Tuesday, following a decision adopted at a Monday night Select Board meeting. The move comes as residents and city officials weigh the community’s growing unease with the surveillance technology that has become common in small towns across the state.
The cameras, supplied by the private company Flock, have been installed in six locations throughout York: two on Shore Road, two along U.S. Route 1, and two at the luxury resort Cliff House Maine. The system captures video and automatically records license plates, creating a database that the company can access. Police Chief Owen Davis said the department will still keep the devices powered on after they are removed, storing them in a box and waiting for Flock to shut them down remotely.
“I take a lot of pride in the fact that most people have said that they don’t have any issue with the York Police Department,” Davis told the board. “It’s a broader concern of the cameras and the company.” The chief also stated that he supports transparency and oversight of surveillance technology, but worries that a proposed ordinance— which would ban microphones and cameras with AI capabilities— could have unintended consequences. “It would bar us from using our existing dash cams, which have AI capabilities that we chose not to use,” he explained. “And it could affect our ability to acquire body‑worn cameras, many of which have AI that could actually protect privacy by blurring faces and plates.”
The ordinance, which would also prevent the department from using its current dash cameras, was put on the November ballot after more than 100 York residents signed a petition last month calling for a ban on Flock cameras. The petition was added to the November ballot, giving voters the final say on the issue. Select Board Vice Chair Marla Johnson said the removal of the cameras “means job one is done,” but the town still has the option to permanently prohibit similar technology in the upcoming election.
Johnson was the only board member to vote “no” in a preference vote on the ordinance, citing the chief’s concerns about unintended consequences. The board’s decision to remove the cameras was made without a formal vote, according to Johnson.
The town’s move follows a trend in Maine. South Portland took down its Flock cameras in June after resident pushback, and Brewer’s police department stopped using Leonardo’s cameras last week after discovering the system had violated Maine law regarding data retention.
In addition to the Flock devices, York is home to a pair of license‑plate‑scanning cameras at a Maine Turnpike toll booth. The Maine Turnpike Authority (MTA) runs those cameras, which are used only to identify vehicles that have not paid the toll. The MTA confirmed that York police had not contacted the agency about removing them, and that the cameras are not within the department’s jurisdiction.
The town is still unclear about how quickly the Flock cameras will be dismantled. Police and the management of Cliff House have not yet responded to requests for comment.
The decision to remove the cameras reflects a growing conversation in Maine about privacy, technology, and law enforcement. As more towns debate whether to keep or discard license‑plate‑reading cameras, the upcoming November vote in York will be a key moment for residents to decide how technology should be used in their community.
