Pete Regan backs Tulsa police use of Flock cameras with safeguards
Candidate for Tulsa City Council, District 9
“As much as I hate to say it because it drives me nuts, I’m for it, and let me tell you why: I’m for it because neighborhoods have it as well. We caught two murders, that’s a double homicide. It took three hours to catch them There need to be privacy protections, guardrails, weekly audits, and severe punitive punishment if somebody has misused it. It has happened around the the country and maybe even the state. But right now, I think the police are handling it very well. And with precautions, I feel like it’s another tool to keep us all safe. Our police officers are also our neighbors (…) and I don’t love it, but I’m for it, and that’s why.”
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
NonDoc report on the Aug. 10 Tulsa Press Club forum for the Tulsa City Council District 9 race, with a profile of each candidate.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
At an Aug. 10 Tulsa Press Club forum for the open District 9 seat, candidates were asked about the Tulsa Police Department's use of Flock cameras. NonDoc reported that Regan was the only candidate to argue in favor of expanding them.
After the quotation
Candidate Ben Johnson opposed the cameras as a violation of the Bill of Rights, and candidate Shawn Tiemann called for more regulation.
How this statement is classified
Case context: Should Flock-style license-plate surveillance networks exist?
The label describes this statement’s response within the context above.
Why this label?
The reference point is whether networked license-plate readers such as Flock should exist and be used. Regan said he is for the cameras, credited them with a fast arrest in a double homicide and said police are handling them well. He also asked for guardrails and audits, but his conclusion is support for continued and expanded use, so we used Defended or excused rather than Mixed or conditional.
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- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- Flock Safety
Should Flock-style license-plate surveillance networks exist?
Explore the case context, sources and public responses.
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