PEKIN, Ill. – Councilmen in Pekin have given the okay for the city’s police department to continue using a tool in catching criminals.
By a 6-1 vote Monday night, the city council approved an annual contract with FLOCK Safety for $173,900. It will provide 52 Falcon and 2 Portable Flex License Plate Reading Cameras that are already installed throughout the city.
The funding comes as part of a multi-year State of Illinois Vehicular Hijacking and Motor Vehicle Theft Prevention grant.
The original vote on the proposal was to take place two weeks ago, but was delayed as members of the public raised numerous questions about FLOCK and the technology behind it. In addition, Mayor Mary Burress wanted a full council in attendance for a potential vote.
FLOCK has been under heavy scrutiny in the past few months; with concerns ranging from privacy violations to unnecessary surveillance to potential abuses of the information gathered by police officers.
Members of the public raised those concerns again before the vote on Monday night, just as they did two weeks ago. But the general sentiment from the council was that the good of using the technology outweighs the bad effects that could come from it.
“In my heart, if one child is saved from sex trafficking, or saved from attempting to unalive themselves, then I absolutely 100% will vote for this,” said Councilwoman Karen Hohimer.
Hohimer says the technology, while it may not be perfect, is worth it to the city if it saves lives and keeps drugs out of the community. She also noted in her comments prior to the vote that she spoke to several residents on different topics, asked them their thoughts on FLOCK, and noted that they were in favor of the technology.
Hohimer and Councilman John Abel also noted the city has used FLOCK for three years, and both wondered why people were not raising their concerns about the technology prior to this month.
Councilman Jake Fletcher noted in his comments that the biggest concern was not the cameras itself, but the way the information could be used. But Fletcher added that he trusts Police Chief Seth Ranney to alleviate any concerns.
“I just will hope and I expect that the chief will do what he needs to do to keep the system from being abused,” Fletcher said.
The only “no” vote came from Councilman Rick Hilst, who wondered if details about the contract properly address the concerns raised by members of the public.
