Petition to “de-flock” Bay County gains traction

BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - A petition calling for the removal of Flock license plate cameras in Bay County has gained support from more than 900 people, as some residents raise privacy concerns while law enforcement agencies say the technology is an investigative tool that does not track drivers.

The cameras take pictures of license plates as vehicles pass. Law enforcement agencies in the county say the system helps solve crimes, but critics argue it creates unnecessary surveillance without enough oversight.

Lynn Haven officials said the city installed its first Flock cameras in 2021 and now has five cameras.

Panama City Beach officials said the city has been using Flock cameras since 2020 and currently has 39 cameras.

Lynn Haven resident David Switzer, who created a Facebook group to promote the petition effort, said he wants the cameras removed because he does not want the government monitoring where people travel.

“I wanna get rid of flock cameras because it is none of the government’s business where I travel, and people say that it doesn’t track you, but it does,” Switzer said.

Lynn Haven police Deputy Chief Charles Enfinger said there is misinformation about the cameras’ capabilities.

“What these cameras do is they take photographs of the back of a vehicle when it passes that camera. You don’t know who is driving that vehicle, it takes a picture of the back of that vehicle, and it’s not storing any information,” Enfinger said.

Panama City Beach Police Chief J.R. Talamantez said the cameras are not used for traffic enforcement.

“There is nobody sitting behind a desk just looking constantly at license plates being photographed. We are not utilizing it to write tickets. It is a tool to help us investigate crime,” Talamantez said.

Switzer said his concerns go beyond how the system works and focus on oversight and potential misuse.

“If there is a few people misusing it, there’s a lot of people misusing it, and I don’t want that. It’s too tempting for them, it’s a technology the police department can’t handle, and as a result, they need to take these cameras down,” Switzer said.

Talamantez said he understands why some people might have concerns, but said it is his responsibility to ensure the technology is used ethically.

Enfinger encouraged residents to learn more about the cameras.

“I would just recommend that they educate themselves on what flock cameras do and what they don’t do. There’s a lot of inflated stories out there that flock tracks you, and follows you, and puts out all this protected information, and it doesn’t,” Enfinger said.

Switzer said petition organizers want city leaders to take a public stance on the cameras.

Both the Lynn Haven Police Department and the Panama City Beach Police Department said they will keep using the cameras for now.

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