Cohen says Roanoke's Flock cameras should be removed
Kathy CohenIndependent candidate for Roanoke City Council and chair of the Roanoke Gun Violence Prevention Commission
Kathy Cohen said that after investigating the cameras she concluded no city should have them, and that she would like to see them removed because she does not think they increase public safety.
“I took a lot of time to investigate them and I came to the conclusion that no city should have these cameras. We are simply not ready for them. We do not have laws for them. We are a society that is moving towards surveillance, Ring cameras, Blink cameras, everything else. And we need to figure out as a society how we're going to handle that. But I would like to see these cameras removed. I don't think that they increase public safety.”
Reporting
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
Reporting
About this source
Roanoke Rambler transcript of a community forum at Melrose Library where Roanoke City Council candidates answered audience questions, including one on Flock cameras and the Raven gunshot detection program.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
At a Roanoke Rambler community forum at Melrose Library, an audience member asked City Council candidates whether they would work to permanently remove the company behind the city's Flock cameras and Raven gunshot detection program. Cohen said that as chair of the Gun Violence Prevention Commission she had received a private police briefing on the cameras.
After the quotation
Cohen added that the city should take more time rather than rushing to a decision when it is offered a grant.
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. Cohen said she concluded no city should have these cameras and that she would like to see them removed from Roanoke. That is a call to remove the cameras, so Condemned fits, even though she also described society's wider questions about surveillance.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- Flock Safety
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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- Cohen says Roanoke's Flock cameras should be removed
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The Dispute Index. "Cohen says Roanoke's Flock cameras should be removed". First published: 2026-09-29. Last updated: 2026-09-29. https://disputeindex.com/events/3132-kathy-cohen-said-that-after-investigating-the-cameras