Katherine Robertson says Flock cameras need safeguards

Chief counsel in the Alabama attorney general's office and Republican nominee for Alabama attorney general

“There is certainly a lot to gain from the use of Flock cameras in the way of public safety, but you've got to have safeguards in place. Alabamians are liberty-loving people. We are not going to become a surveillance state, but we do want our law enforcement to have strong tools.”
Open source (opens in a new tab)GOP Attorney General nominee Robertson favors compromise in Flock camera standoffRobertson's quoted remarks from the OAN interview, early in the article

Source and context

Reporting

GOP Attorney General nominee Robertson favors compromise in Flock camera standoff (opens in a new tab)Robertson's quoted remarks from the OAN interview, early in the article

About this source

1819 News report on remarks by Alabama attorney general nominee Katherine Robertson in an OAN television interview; the article embeds the interview video.

Before the quotation

1819 News reported that in an interview on OAN's "Fine Point with Chanel Rion," Robertson called for compromise on Flock cameras. She said this was an area where there had to be a nuanced debate.

After the quotation

Robertson said she would take a leadership role in working out how to protect Alabamians' privacy while giving law enforcement the tools it needs. 1819 News reported that state Sen. Arthur Orr is expected to introduce legislation setting strict guidelines for police use of Flock cameras.

How this statement is classified

Mixed or conditional

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 reader systems such as Flock should exist and be used. Robertson said there is a lot to gain from Flock cameras for public safety but that safeguards must be in place, and that Alabama should not become a surveillance state. Support for the cameras on the condition of safeguards fits Mixed or conditional.

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People and groups discussed
Flock Safety
A close view of a green Flock Safety automated license-plate reader mounted beside a street.
Credit: Bruxton

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