Town Officials Address Flock Cameras In Lengthy Statement
David Creed •
The Town of Nantucket has issued a statement regarding the Flock cameras at the intersection of Easy Street and Broad Street, stating that the cameras were installed in September of 2021 and that Flock cameras were not put forward as an agenda item to the Select Board.
According to the Town, Deputy Police Chief Charlie Gibson is Nantucket’s lone “Automated License Plate Reader Administrator” and the only person who receives notifications from their Flock cameras. He is the only person who reviews requests from other agencies to access the data stored on these cameras.
“The data that is collected belongs to NPD,” the Town stated in their release. “Any other agency wishing to access our information would submit a share request to our ALPR Administrator. The NPD Administrator has confirmed that NPD has received a small number of share requests from local municipal agencies but has not allowed access; at no time over the past five years has it allowed access to any outside agency.”
Beyond Flock, the town said NPD also has a contract with Axon Enterprise, Inc., which was signed on September 3rd, 2022. It stated the contract was part of Article 10 at the 2022 Annual Town Meeting and was adopted. It includes body-worn cameras, tasers, and in-cruiser cameras.
“The initial five-year contract included a maximum project amount of $494,100, with payments invoiced annually,” the Town said. “The agreement with Axon was effective as of September 21, 2022, and remains in effect through September 21, 2027.”
A change order was apparently drawn up later on to include the addition of 12 Automated License Plate Readers, which equates to one camera for each primary marked cruiser for an additional $35,280 – bringing the total contract cost to $529,380 (or $105,876 annually).
“This change order was on the Select Board’s agenda at its December 14, 2022 meeting and was included on the list of contracts for approval,” the Town said. “The description in the packet was ‘Add license plate recognition (LPR) technology to police vehicles.’”
The Town said the Flock cameras were not put forward to the Select Board for review or approval, claiming that “such agreements are typically considered administrative, such as other types of user agreements, including licenses for the use of ChatGPT and Microsoft.”
Town officials confirmed that NPD signed their user agreement with Flock on March 22, 2021, and the two cameras were installed in September of that year. The most recent annual invoice that they have received from Flock Safety was for $6,000 for the two cameras. The Current, through a Freedom of Information Act request, received copies of these five invoices.
“The sole intent of the cameras at this intersection is to capture license plate information of vehicles coming from or going to the Steamship Authority,” the Town explains. “The system automatically scans plates against state and federal databases (like the National Crime Information Center). It sends audio or text alerts to the department within seconds if a stolen vehicle, vehicle registered to a wanted suspect, or vehicle tied to an Amber/Silver Alert passes a camera. This is particularly useful if a wanted vehicle is arriving or attempting to leave the island via the Steamship Authority. Prior to taking any action involving the vehicle, the status of the license plate and vehicle is confirmed with the Department of Criminal Justice Information Systems.”
The Current asked to Town to provide one or more instances where Flock camera technology helped solve cases on the island to support their presence and value to the department.
Gibson told the Current the agreement was made in March of 2021 and pictures posted on the Nantucket Bike Shop Instagram appear to prove him correct and that at the very least, these cameras were not installed prior to July of 2020.
In a pair of photos found by Nantucket Current contributor Jack Bradner, one photo from July 7th, 2020 posted on the account shows the cameras absent from the pole where they are currently installed.
However, in a photo posted on August 13th, 2021, the cameras are in clear view – one month before the town says in their statement they were installed.
“As technology has evolved, ALPR systems have become an important and widely used tool in modern policing,” the Town said. “They support officers and investigators by generating timely investigative leads, assisting in the identification and location of vehicles connected to criminal activity, and helping locate individuals who may pose a significant risk to the community or who are themselves vulnerable or at risk. The technology has contributed to the successful resolution of numerous investigations and has become a valuable component of everyday public safety operations at NPD.
“The use of Automated License Plate Readers (ALPR) technology is intended to support legitimate public safety objectives by providing Nantucket police officers with an additional investigative tool,” the Town continues. “The system does not replace officer judgment or traditional investigative methods; rather, it serves as one source of information that may assist in locating vehicles associated with criminal activity, identifying investigative leads, and enhancing community safety.”
Last Wednesday, the town’s Chief Technology Officer, Michael Alvarez, expressed major concerns about the cameras' presence on the island to the Select Board during public comment, offering differing perspectives on the technology. He confirmed he was not involved in the process of purchasing, approving, or installing these cameras.
“I want to be very clear,” Alvarez said. “The Chief Technology Officer is not part of the Nantucket Public Safety chain of command. Neither I nor my predecessor had any involvement in the purchase, approval, or installation of any Automated License Plate Readers on Nantucket. I also want to be equally clear about my personal opinion. I do not believe Automated License Plate Readers belong on this island.
“Modern vehicle recognition technology can collect far more than a license plate number,” Alvarez continued. “Depending on the system, it can identify a vehicle's make, model, color, and other distinguishing characteristics. As these systems continue to evolve, they are capable of extracting increasingly detailed information about the vehicles, and by extension the people, passing before them. I believe that collecting this amount of information on residents and visitors without individualized suspicion or a warrant poses a real threat to our civil liberties and has no place in our community.”
According to the Town, NPD is currently working toward accreditation from the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission (MPAC), which is required for any agency using ALPR technology.
“Written directive 122, titled Automated License Plate Readers (ALPR), was updated and published for sworn personnel on December 22, 2025,” the Town said. “The policy is compliant with MPAC standard 41.3.9, which is a mandatory standard for accreditation if an agency uses ALPR technology. The MPAC standard requires that department directives address guidelines for use, operator responsibilities, operator training, data entries, data storage and security, and access to data and retention.”
At the beginning of their remarks, the Town said their motive for releasing this statement on their “For The Record” section of the Town website was “to be sure that our community is well-informed about our use of this type of technology.” We have asked them why they waited over five years after an agreement with Flock was signed to confirm their existence on the island and take time to explain to the community what their value to the police department is, and are awaiting their reply.
“As with all law enforcement technology, its use is governed by applicable laws, department policy, and established procedures to help ensure it is used responsibly, consistently, and in a manner that respects individual privacy,” the Town concludes.