Missouri city Flock cameras collect data despite being covered by trash bags

Last month, the Excelsior Springs City Council voted to remove Flock cameras from the city. Following that decision, the cameras were covered with trash bags in an effort to prevent them from collecting data.

However, while fulfilling a public records request, the police department discovered that the cameras were still capturing information despite being covered. The department released photographs showing that the cameras continued reading license plates, with the resulting images appearing hazy rather than obscured. Police said they shared the discovery "in the interest of transparency.”

Rather than immediately removing the devices, the city is now placing a second garbage bag over each camera in an additional effort to prevent data collection.

"Now that this has been brought to our attention, city employees are taking additional steps to ensure the cameras are fully covered by placing a second bag over each camera," police said, according to KMBC.

The move to discontinue the cameras came after a petition organized by resident Tracie Hardesty, who opposed the technology over concerns about mass surveillance.

"I just set up the petition and the group, and as soon as I made space, people filled it,” Hardesty said, according to KSHB.

"If you speak up, someone will listen. There were so many people that told me, 'They aren't going to listen to you, why are you wasting your time on this?' And our city council responded so quickly," Hardesty added.

During Tuesday’s midterm elections, multiple communities across the country voted to reject facial recognition surveillance cameras. In Pflugerville, Texas, voters approved an amendment to the city charter to require the city council "to adopt protections governing the collection, use, retention, and oversight of data, facial recognition, and surveillance technologies."