Welch defends keeping Flock cameras
Ken WelchSt. Petersburg mayor and 2026 candidate for reelection
Welch defended continued use of St. Petersburg's Flock cameras, arguing that they help police and that the city has privacy protections.
“Let's talk about it without throwing out a tool that is helping us track down people that make us less safe as a community”
Interview
Where this statement fits
Should Flock-style license-plate surveillance networks exist?
Networked automated license-plate readers record passing vehicles and let agencies search or share travel records across locations. Candidates and officials disagree over whether to prohibit these networks, keep them with legal limits, or defend their use for investigations. This tracker records attributable positions on that choice, including proposals that would affect only public funding or data access.
Source and context
Interview
About this source
Spectrum News original interviews with both St. Petersburg mayoral runoff candidates.
Before the quotation
Spectrum News interviewed Welch as his opponent called for a moratorium.
After the quotation
Welch said he had not seen a strong enough case to take the cameras down, though he left open reconsideration.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The reference point is whether networked license-plate reader systems such as Flock should exist and be used. Welch said the city should talk about the cameras without throwing out a tool that helps police track down people who make the community less safe. Keeping the cameras fits Defended.
- Recorded on
- Published here
More from this case
Read the full caseJacob Burnett says Flock-style cameras should be done away with, with warrants required if they stay
“The systems themselves can be modified to prevent nearly all abuse and be made more secure by requiring warrants for access or follow through on any data the systems collect and have all data stored on the hardware itself preventing viewing from remote locations, requiring strict login credentials and a connecting warrant number to access. These are common sense changes that if the systems are to be used I feel could correct a lot of abuse or privacy concerns but I also feel the systems should be done away with overall, especially in the realm of predictive crime analytics.”Read statement
Dean Brewer, an independent candidate for Tennessee governor, says Flock cameras should be banned
“I believe flock cameras should be banned.”Read statement
Buddy Carter says license plate cameras help investigators but need privacy safeguards
“Technologies like license plate recognition cameras can provide valuable investigative tools, but they have also raised important questions about privacy and government oversight. As these systems become more common, it is important to balance public safety with appropriate safeguards that protect individual privacy.”Read statement
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- Welch defends keeping Flock cameras
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The Dispute Index. "Welch defends keeping Flock cameras". First published: 2026-09-29. Last updated: 2026-09-29. https://disputeindex.com/events/2898-welch-defended-continued-use-of-st-petersburg-s