STATEMENT FROM COUNCIL PRESIDENT SUE STEELE ON PROPOSED RENEWAL OF FLOCK CONTRACT
Troy, New York (April 1, 2026) – Council President Sue Steele issued the following statement regarding the proposed renewal of the city of Troy’s contract with Flock.
“On Tuesday, the council directed the city auditor to pause payments to Flock until the city resolves all outstanding questions and public concerns regarding the use of the company’s automatic license plate readers (ALPRs).
“While ALPRs can be critical tools for law enforcement to investigate crime in our community, serious questions remain unanswered about data access and privacy protections. Furthermore, it appears the previous agreement violated the city charter—which requires council authorization prior to mayoral approval—as well as the city’s standard purchasing process. We urge the administration to reengage with the council to develop new policies that implement robust safeguards for this technology.
“I am deeply frustrated by the mayor’s shifting explanations regarding the contract’s status, her failure to provide the agreement to the council for months, and her dismissive attitude toward constituent concerns. Transparency and public scrutiny are the beating heart of local democracy. I want to assure the Troy community that the council remains committed to listening to residents and holding the administration accountable on this critical issue.”
Additional Background:
On Thursday, March 26, the city council requested a 30-day delay from the Mantello administration regarding the expiration of the proposed Flock camera contract to negotiate language changes protecting privacy, security, accessibility, and information sharing. The administration did not respond to this request.
Additionally, the proposed contract renewal was not provided to the council until March 13, 2026—less than a week before the committee meeting where it was proposed for renewal and after the renewal period had already started. The council tabled the proposal after the mayor, her administration, and the Flock representative were unable to answer the council’s questions on data security.
More than 100 residents and community members attended the March 19, 2026, council meeting to share their thoughts.
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