The Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) is facing questions about its use of Flock license plate readers as the contract renewal approaches. The district has a $603,000 contract with Flock Safety, which provides 201 license plate readers across 70 of the district’s buildings.

Concerns Over Privacy and Cost

A local advocacy group, Flock NO CLE, is pushing for the CMSD school board to end the district’s use of the license plate readers, citing concerns over privacy and cost. The group argues that the plate readers take pictures of all cars that cross their paths, regardless of whether someone is suspected of a crime, and store the images in searchable databases for law enforcement to use and share.

CMSD Safety and Security Chief Lamont Dodson says the cameras are helpful for security, especially for combatting car thefts and break-ins, which are a recurring issue in school parking lots. However, Flock NO CLE argues that the district should not continue to spend on surveillance technology, particularly given that there is no independent research supporting the company’s claims around crime reduction.

Contract Renewal and Debate

The contract between CMSD and Flock Safety is set to expire mid-July, and the school board will decide the future of the Flock camera network this summer. The city of Cleveland also has a contract with Flock Safety, but it is substantially smaller, costing $250,000 for 100 license plate readers.

The debate over the use of license plate readers in Cleveland has grown, with some arguing that they are an effective tool for public safety and others raising concerns over privacy and potential use by immigration authorities to track illegal immigrants.

Original reporting: Signal Cleveland — read the source article.