Funding for Flock cameras will not be included in Kosciusko County’s 2027 budget. The county council voted Thursday to withhold funding for any automated license plate readers or similar equipment.
That came after a number of residents spoke out against the technology and presented a petition with more than a thousand signatures. Kelsey Cox said it wasn’t just a question of technology, but of freedom.
"Say ‘no’ to mass-funding surveillance," Cox told council members. "Say ‘yes’ to protecting the privacy, liberty and constitutional rights of Kosciusko County citizens."
Several county officials said they understood the privacy concerns, but they felt that they could be addressed through new legislation at the state level.
Detective Josh Spangle with the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office said access to its information is restricted to sworn law enforcement officers in Indiana. "We have federal sharing disabled, immigration-related searches disabled, reproductive care searches disabled," Spangle said. "Dispatch only receives alerts. They do not have access to search features within the system."
Officials stressed that the cameras only capture information that would be visible to anyone from the street, but resident Chris Plack felt the issue goes beyond the cameras themselves.
"The data is the issue," Plack said. "The searchable network is the issue."
Council members also passed motions requiring their specific approval for funding for drones, gunshot detection and other surveillance technology, as well as contracts with Axon Justice, which the county uses to store police camera footage.
Kosciusko County’s full 2027 budget will be up for the council’s final approval October 8.
