The Glocester Town Council voted Thursday to remove the town's Flock Safety license plate reader cameras, ending a surveillance program the police chief said has been in place since December 2023.
The vote came after more than an hour of public comment at the August 6 meeting, and after Chief Jeffrey Jenison walked the council through how the system works. The motion to remove the cameras was approved by voice vote, with at least one councilor opposed.
What the chief told the council
Jenison said the town entered a 60-month agreement with Flock Safety in December 2023, at a cost of about $5,000 a year. Automated license plate readers, or ALPRs, photograph passing vehicles and record the plate along with characteristics such as color, make and model.
He said the cameras do not record continuously, do not use facial recognition and do not identify drivers or passengers. Every search requires a documented investigative reason entered through a dropdown menu, he said, and the system flags repeated searches of the same plate for audit. Since 2023, he said, roughly 50 cases had a positive outcome tied to Flock data, including stolen vehicle recoveries, hit-and-run investigations, missing person cases and narcotics investigations.
Jenison also said images are overwritten every 30 days unless retained for an investigation, and that the Glocester Police Department shares data with partner agencies, including departments in Massachusetts and Connecticut. He told the council he could shut off that sharing "with a click of a button," though other agencies would likely reciprocate.
Residents pushed back
Several residents spoke against the program. One resident said she was speaking for roughly 400 people who signed a petition opposing the cameras, and argued that Rhode Island has no statute regulating ALPR use, leaving residents without legal safeguards. She cited reported misuse cases in other states and questioned the accuracy of plate reads.
Mary Baker said she had not known the cameras existed in Glocester until the day of the meeting, and called the lack of public notice a transparency problem. Robert Thompson, of Reservoir Road, questioned why a camera sits on private property near a liquor store and said residents are being asked to trust a for-profit company. David Goldsmith, of Cooper Road, framed the issue around artificial intelligence, arguing the technology's future capabilities are unknown. Marie Sweet, of Chesnville Road, said she supports police use of cameras but wants to know who else can access the data.
Another resident noted the town's low crime rate and said a camera sits across from a pavilion where residents gather for protests.
The council's split
Councilors acknowledged they had voted to approve and later renew the contract without fully understanding it. One councilor said the initial approval came on January 31, 2022, paid for with forfeited asset funds rather than tax dollars, with the five-year commitment following in 2023.
One councilor argued for keeping the system, saying the chief has strong protocols, data is wiped after 30 days and residents are already surveilled by private cameras and their own phones. "It might not be a popular opinion, but I believe we should keep it," he said.
After the vote, the council heard that the town remains on the hook for the balance of the 60-month contract — roughly $10,000 covering the remaining two years.
Septic program dominates the rest of the night
Town Planner Karen Scott presented three items tied to the Chepachet Village Septic Improvement Program, a federally funded grant program covering up to 90 percent of septic construction costs for 17 properties in the village. Scott said six miles of the Chepachet River is classified as an impaired water body, with septic systems the primary pollution source. Grants range from $19,000 to $39,000; projects run from about $15,000 to $70,000.
The council approved, by voice vote:
- Authorizing the council president to sign a service agreement with the Rhode Island Rural Water Association to act as the program's responsible management entity, running September 1 through August 31, 2029, at $180 per property per year. The town pays the first three years with grant funds; owners take over after that.
- Amendments adjusting individual grant amounts to reflect actual construction bids.
- Removing a requirement that installers carry pollution liability insurance, and authorizing reimbursement of premiums for installers who bought new coverage in the past 12 months and bid on a project.
Scott said the insurance requirement, recommended by the Rhode Island Interlocal Trust, became a barrier because few septic installers carry that coverage, making the federal three-bid requirement impossible to meet. Federal funds expire October 31.
One installer told the council he lost three jobs worth more than $80,000 because he carried the insurance and was underbid after the requirement was dropped without notice to him. Scott responded that property owners are not required to take the low bid and that the town does not select installers.
The council also approved advancing grant funds to cover installer deposits — roughly $22,000 to $25,000 on larger systems — for an estimated four to five property owners, rather than requiring full reimbursement at the end.
Other business
The council approved a resolution seeking up to $500,000 in additional funds through the Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank for the Community Septic System Loan Program, a 0 percent interest loan program administered with the Rhode Island Housing and Mortgage Finance Corporation. Loans are capped at $50,000 over up to 10 years.
Police promotions and appointments recommended by Jenison were approved by voice vote: a sergeant to lieutenant effective August 5, a lieutenant to captain, and a part-time dispatcher to a full-time position effective August 15. A retiring patrolman with 35 years of service received an honorary sergeant rank and a citation.
The council approved a Land Trust hiking-and-music event at Sprague Farm on September 26 from 1 to 4 p.m., with an October 3 rain date, and approved the Scarecrow Festival for October 17 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., waiving a public hearing.
The emergency management director reported that the state Department of Environmental Management has notified the town it must prepare emergency action plans for 13 high-hazard dams under a 2018 law, and has threatened fines. He asked the council to authorize staff assistance; the town solicitor suggested the council pass a resolution asking the General Assembly to repeal what he described as an unfunded mandate. Both are expected on the next agenda.
What's next
A first reading of a proposed senior tax exemption amendment — adding a cost-of-living increase estimated at about 3 percent — is scheduled for the August 20 meeting, with a public hearing and second reading to follow. The dam resolution and the staffing authorization are also expected then.