Flock Cameras in Binghamton, New York

The short version

Binghamton, New York is debating whether to continue using Flock Safety automated license plate reader cameras.

WBNG reported that legislation to end the City of Binghamton's contract with Flock Safety was proposed during the July 13, 2026 City Council meeting.

WSKG reported on July 23 that the council's Municipal Affairs Committee did not advance the request to the full council for a vote because members wanted more information first.

What residents asked for

WSKG reported that earlier in July, more than a dozen people urged Binghamton City Council to end use of all automatic license plate readers.

WNBF reported in June that more than a half-dozen residents had urged council members to remove Flock Safety devices that had been recording vehicles traveling into and out of Binghamton in recent years.

The public objections centered on surveillance, civil liberties, privacy, and public access to contract records.

What the committee reviewed

WSKG reported that the Municipal Affairs Committee heard from a Flock representative, an expert from the Policing Project at New York University School of Law, and Binghamton Police Chief John Ryan.

The report said the Flock representative and the Policing Project expert presented contradictory information about the risks of ALPR use, specifically Flock cameras.

The committee also asked about who inside the police department can access camera data and what restrictions apply to that access.

The audit and access claims

According to WSKG, Police Chief John Ryan said users must enter a case number before accessing Flock data.

Ryan also told WSKG that the department audits who has accessed the data every two weeks.

He said misuse would be handled through department disciplinary procedures and could potentially lead to firing.

The retention question

WSKG reported that the committee discussed whether Binghamton needs to save Flock data for 30 days or whether a shorter deletion period could still be useful to police.

That is one of the most important contract questions because retention changes the privacy impact of the same camera network.

A 30-day setting may sound short compared with longer databases, but residents still need to know who can search the data, what search reason is required, how audits work, and whether any outside agencies can reach the data.

Why the contract issue matters

WBNG reported that the July 13 legislation was proposed to end Binghamton's contract with Flock Safety.

WNBF reported that one resident said he had been unsuccessful in seeking copies of the city's Flock Safety contracts through freedom of information requests.

That matters because a public debate is weaker when residents cannot easily inspect the order form, renewal deadline, retention settings, sharing settings, user-access rules, audit process, and termination language.

How Binghamton fits the New York pattern

WSKG reported that the number of municipalities severing ties with Flock is increasing and named Tompkins County, Ithaca, and Syracuse as recent local examples.

The same report said the Los Angeles Police Department had suspended its use of Flock cameras earlier in July.

Binghamton is not the same as a cancellation yet. It is the stage before that, where council members are deciding whether the public record, access controls, and claimed law-enforcement value are strong enough to justify keeping the cameras.

What Binghamton should publish next

Before any renewal or continuation vote, Binghamton should publish the current Flock agreement, order form, renewal and cancellation deadlines, number and locations of cameras, retention period, active sharing settings, written use policy, and audit procedure.

The city should also publish how often data is searched, how often audits find problems, whether outside agencies can request access, and whether Flock or any other vendor can change network features without fresh local approval.

Those details would make the debate less abstract. Residents could judge the actual system instead of only hearing broad claims about public safety or broad claims about surveillance.

The bottom line

Binghamton has not ended its Flock contract yet. The council committee paused the request and asked for more information.

That pause creates a clear test. If the city can publish the contract, prove strict access controls, show real audits, and explain retention and sharing rules in public, the debate moves onto firmer ground.

If those details stay hard to get, Binghamton becomes another example of the main Flock problem facing cities: the cameras may be easy to install, but public trust is harder to renew.

Sources used

WSKG, Binghamton City Council committee discuss ending use of Flock cameras, July 23, 2026: https://www.wskg.org/regional-news/2026-07-23/binghamton-city-council-committee-discuss-ending-use-of-flock-cameras

WBNG, Binghamton committee holds public meeting on Flock camera contract debate, July 23, 2026: https://www.wbng.com/2026/07/23/binghamton-committee-holds-public-meeting-flock-camera-contract-debate/

WBNG, Proposed legislation to end Binghamton's contract with Flock Safety, July 14, 2026: https://www.wbng.com/2026/07/14/proposed-legislation-end-binghamtons-contract-with-flock-safety/

WNBF, Binghamton Residents Want Flock Plate Readers Unplugged, June 8, 2026: https://wnbf.com/binghamton-flock-cameras-unplugged/

Flock Safety, License Plate Reader Policy: https://www.flocksafety.com/legal/lpr-policy

Flock Safety, Privacy, Data & Civil Liberties Policies: https://www.flocksafety.com/trust