Flock AI cameras Public Comment from Jerry Fink with Mayor hunter responseAimee Brunckhorst
From: Ryan Hunter
Sent: Saturday, August 1, 2026 10:22 PM
To: Jerry Fink; Kalispell Meetings Public Comment
Subject: Re: EXTERNAL Fwd: Flock Al cameras
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged
Hi Jerry,
Thankyou foryour comments. We have had extensive discussions at Council about this issue and I
encourage you to watch those past meetings if you haven't already. I and I believe the rest of the Council
share your concern and opposition to mass surveillance. I think it is important, however, to make a
distinction between comprehensive mass surveillance systems using bulk collection and long-term data
storage and trackingvs. much more limited systems with short term data storage governed by an
adopted policy that restricts its use to specific enforcement functions. Our proposed LPR system is the
latter, not the former.
The Police Department will create a License Plate Reader policy with tight use restrictions before it is
implemented. Data collected for the system, which will be limited only to parking enforcement, isn't
expected to be stored for more than a few days. Only parking enforcement officers will have access to
the system and only as part of their parking enforcement duties. We will own the data collected and the
data will not be shared with the system vendor. We also have no intention of using Flock camera systems
or fixed location surveillance camera systems. The cameras will be installed in two parking enforcement
vehicles and will not be used for other law enforcement purposes.
I hope that relieves your concerns.
Regards,
Mayor Ryan Hunter
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From: Jerry Fink <jerryfinkl2@gmail.com>
Sent: Saturday, 01 August 2026 22:03:26
To: Kalispell Meetings Public Comment <publiccomment@kalispell.com>
Subject: EXTERNAL Fwd: Flock Al cameras
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Jerry Fink <ierryfink12 gmail.com>
Date: Saturday, August 1, 2026
Subject: Flock Al cameras
To: cityclerk _ kalispell. com
To the Kalispell City Council,
I am writing to express my strong opposition to the installation of Flock Safety license
plate cameras in Kalispell.
Many of us chose to live in Montana because it offers something that is becoming
increasingly rare: privacy, freedom, and a community where people are not constantly
monitored. People leave large cities like Seattle, Portland, and other metropolitan areas to
escape the feeling of living under constant surveillance. Kalispell should not move in the
same direction.
While I understand that these cameras are promoted as a tool to help solve crimes, they
also create a growing network capable of tracking the movements of ordinary, law-
abiding citizens. Every time someone drives to work, attends church, visits a friend, goes
to a doctor's appointment, or simply travels around town, that information can potentially
be collected and stored.
Technology that is introduced with good intentions can be used very differently in the
future. History has shown that powers granted today often expand tomorrow. Databases
grow, access broadens, policies change, and information that was once considered limited
can become widely available. I worry that this technology could eventually be used to
follow, profile, or monitor innocent people in ways never originally intended.
There are also concerns about data security. Any system that stores large amounts of
information becomes a target for misuse, unauthorized access, or abuse by individuals
who gain access to it. Even if safeguards exist today, no system is immune from mistakes
or bad actors.
Montana has long valued personal liberty and limited government. Those principles are
part of what makes our state different. Installing an expanding network of surveillance
cameras sends the opposite message and risks changing the character of our community.
Public safety is important, but it must be balanced with the constitutional rights and
privacy of the people who live here. I encourage the City Council to carefully consider
whether this technology is consistent with the values that have drawn so many people to
Kalispell in the first place.
Please reject the installation of Flock Safety cameras and instead focus on public safety
measures that do not require the routine collection and tracking of the movements of
ordinary citizens.
N
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Sincerely, Jerry Fink
Kalispell, Montana