City of Palm Bay Orders Immediate Suspension of FLOCK Camera System Following Permitting Review

The Palm Bay City Council directed City staff to investigate the installation of the City's FLOCK automated license plate reader (LPR) camera system following concerns raised regarding their placement and construction.

As part of that review, City Manager Matthew Morton determined that the FLOCK cameras may not have been properly permitted or installed by FLOCK Safety, the system vendor, as required by the City.

In response, the City Manager and Palm Bay Police Chief Jeff Spears have agreed to initiate an immediate suspension of the City's LPR/FLOCK system and all associated cameras pending completion of the review.

The system will be taken offline, and the physical cameras will be hooded as a visible indication to the public that the cameras will be deactivated and will not be operating.

"This City Council is committed to trust, transparency and accountability, and they have consistently demonstrated that" said City Manager Matthew Morton. "When questions are raised about a system that affects public safety and public confidence, we have an obligation to stop, examine the facts and make sure everything has been done properly. In this case, our preliminary review determined that the cameras may not have been properly permitted or installed by the vendor. We have therefore taken immediate action to suspend the system."

The direction was supported by Mayor Rob Medina, Deputy Mayor Mike Jaffe and Councilmembers Mike Hammer, Kenny Johnson and Chandler Langevin, further demonstrating the City Council's collective commitment to trust, transparency, and accountability to the citizens of Palm Bay.

The City Manager and Police Chief have directed staff to ensure that the system remains offline while the city conducts a comprehensive review of the permitting and installation of the FLOCK system.

"We are not going to ask residents to simply trust that everything is working as it should," Morton said. "We are going to demonstrate it through transparency, accountability, and action. The cameras will be suspended, their use will remain suspended during this review, and we will bring the facts and any recommendations back to the City Council for their consideration".