Sondra Wilson says expanding Flock cameras should be off the table until Iowa reforms its justice system

I support law enforcement, and I recognize that Flock-style license plate cameras can provide legitimate benefits in criminal investigations. However, I believe that investing in becoming more of a surveillance state while healthcare and food assistance are being cut, and public education is struggling to keep pace with inflation, shows that whoever is making these decisions has their priorities backwards. I. STATISTICS: First, I would like to share some recent statistics, then offer an analogy to put this into perspective: * SURVEILLANCE: Approximately 60 Iowa government agencies use automated license plate readers.[1] Johnston approved a $109,500 three-year Flock contract, while Indianola's eight-camera program cost approximately $24,000 annually.[2] * HEALTHCARE: I am one of many Iowans who have already lost access to medically necessary healthcare services as a direct result of state-level Medicaid funding restrictions.[3] Under federal healthcare legislation already signed into law, approximately 47,000 fewer Iowans are projected to be enrolled in Medicaid by 2027, following the implementation of new work requirements. Approximately 100,000 Iowans are projected to lose health insurance by 2034 under the broader federal healthcare changes.[4] * EDUCATION: KCRG's February 2026 analysis found that Iowa's state general-fund contribution to public schools was approximately $239 million behind FY2017 purchasing power, adjusted for inflation. Republican lawmakers subsequently approved a 2% school-aid increase for FY2027, despite school districts requesting 5% to address inflation and staffing pressures.[5] Under Republican leadership, state public-school funding has repeatedly failed to keep pace with inflation for years. * FOOD & HOUSING: Feeding America's estimates identified approximately 385,000 food-insecure Iowans, including more than 120,000 children. Iowa's six food banks subsequently distributed an extraordinary 54 MILLION MEALS in 2025.[6] Meanwhile, Iowa faces a shortage of approximately 61,867 affordable and available rental homes for extremely low-income households. At Iowa's minimum wage, a person would have to work 96 HOURS PER WEEK just to afford a modest one-bedroom rental at fair-market rent.[7] II. PUTTING THINGS INTO PERSPECTIVE: Consider Johnston's $109,500 Flock contract alone. That same amount is roughly equivalent to: * 63 routine outpatient cataract surgeries at 2026 Medicare reimbursement rates. * A full year of groceries for 9 families of four, using USDA's Thrifty Food Plan. * An entire year's rent for 8 Iowa households, using the state's average two-bedroom fair-market rent.[8] These are alternative comparisons of what Johnston's $109,500 three-year contract represents in purchasing power. The point is how we prioritize our tax dollars. Now, consider a father who keeps buying new security systems while his children lack food in the cupboard and cannot obtain needed medical care. Most people would conclude that his priorities are backwards. III. CREATING A SURVEILLANCE STATE WHILE GOVERNMENT CORRUPTION REMAINS UNCHECKED? Government immunity doctrines, extremely confusing, complex Court Rules regular citizens aren't taught to understand, lack of access to legal representation when government officials harm citizens, and a Tort Claims Act (§ 669.14(4)) that expressly excludes claims against the state arising from false arrests, malicious prosecutions, abuse of process, and numerous other injustices citizens might suffer at the hands of government officials—are just some examples of how Iowa's legal and justice systems enable government corruption while preventing citizens from accessing redress. Also consider Iowa Code § 22.7(5), which allows police investigative reports to be withheld from public disclosure, subject to certain exceptions.[9] I have personally experienced being denied access to more than one police report and related footage involving incidents where I intended to use that evidence to prove severe official misconduct; § 22.7(5) was cited by the responding agencies. Think about this in regard to Flock: A prosecutor may be able to access Flock camera footage, but what about citizens? What prevents that same provision from being invoked to withhold Flock footage when a citizen needs it to establish official misconduct? Can an ordinary Iowan obtain and preserve relevant footage before it is deleted, or must they first navigate an expensive and extraordinarily complicated legal system without representation? Until we substantially improve Iowa's justice system, I don't believe expanding Flock cameras should be on the table. Again, backwards priorities by government officials, and trust needs to be earned. Iowa citizens are fully justified in their concerns about how Flock can be abused. Officials today might say how benign it is, but what about 10, 15, or 20 years from now? How will those administrations use it? You can view my developing Justice Reform Plan here: People-Empowering Justice Reforms So let's start by reforming Iowa's justice system, making it accessible to ordinary Iowans, and repairing the social safety nets that have been ripped apart in recent years. Then we can talk about Flock cameras. I absolutely support law enforcement having effective investigative tools. But let's fix the other parts of our government and uplift the lives of Iowans first. Thank you, Ben, for the opportunity to be heard on this deeply concerning topic. ENDNOTES [1] Statewide surveillance adoption Iowa Public Radio, September 23, 2026, There Is Little State Regulation of Flock Cameras in Iowa. That Could Soon Change. Reports approximately 60 Iowa government agencies using automated license-plate readers. https://www.iowapublicradio.org/political-news/2026-09-23/there-is-little-state-regulation-of-flock-cameras-in-iowa-that-could-soon-change [2] Surveillance contracts and surgery comparison * City of Johnston, Flock Group Inc., July 30, 2026 contract, documented by Civic IQ. Total: $109,500 over 36 months. https://civiciq.com/public-contract/city-of-johnston-ia-flock-group-inc-technology-2026-07-30 * Indianola's eight-camera program was reported at approximately $24,000 annually. [3] State Medicaid restrictions Iowa Acts 2025, Chapter 169, Section 14. Prohibits state general-fund Medicaid reimbursement for specified gender-affirming procedures, hormone therapy, and related interventions. The provision does not terminate every form of Medicaid coverage for transgender beneficiaries. https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/publications/iactc/91.1/2025_Iowa_Acts.pdf [4] Projected healthcare coverage losses * Axios Des Moines, September 2026: Approximately 47,000 fewer Iowa Medicaid enrollees projected by 2027 following implementation of new work requirements. * Iowa HHS: New community-engagement requirements begin December 1, 2026. * Reuters, September 29, 2026, Soaring Cancer Rates in Iowa Emerge as a Key US Midterms Issue: Approximately 100,000 Iowans projected to lose coverage under federal healthcare changes. * KFF, July 23, 2025, analysis of the enacted federal reconciliation package. The 47,000 and 100,000 estimates concern overlapping policy effects and different timeframes; they should not be added together. https://www.kff.org/medicaid/allocating-cbos-estimates-of-federal-medicaid-spending-reductions-across-the-states-enacted-reconciliation-package/ [5] Public-school funding KCRG-TV9: * February 18, 2026, FACT CHECK: Conflicting Facts on Iowa Public School Funding and Inflation. The $239 million figure specifically concerns state general-fund contributions, rather than total school funding from all sources. * February 26, 2026, Iowa Governor Signs School Funding Law. https://www.kcrg.com/2026/02/18/fact-check-conflicting-facts-iowa-public-school-funding-inflation/ https://www.kcrg.com/2026/02/26/iowa-governor-signs-school-funding-law/ [6] Food insecurity * Iowa Food Bank Association, using Feeding America's 2023 food-insecurity estimates: Approximately 385,130 Iowans, including 120,220 children. * Iowa Food Bank Association, May 2026: Iowa's six member food banks distributed 54 million meals statewide during 2025. https://www.iowafba.org/ [7] Housing affordability National Low Income Housing Coalition: * The Gap — Iowa: Shortage of 61,867 affordable and available rental homes for extremely low-income renters, using 2024 Census data. * Out of Reach 2026 — Iowa: A minimum-wage worker would need to work 96 hours weekly to afford a modest one-bedroom rental at fair-market rent, using the study's affordability standard. https://nlihc.org/gap/state/ia https://nlihc.org/oor/state/ia [8] Illustrative purchasing-power comparison: * Surgeries: 2026 national Medicare-approved amount of approximately $1,717 for routine cataract surgery (CPT 66984), including physician and ambulatory surgery-center reimbursement. Medicare Procedure Price Lookup (https://www.medicare.gov/procedure-price-lookup/). * Groceries: USDA, Thrifty Food Plan, March 2026 (https://fns-prod.azureedge.us/sites/default/files/resource-files/cnpp-costfood-tfp-march2026.pdf). Approximately $946 monthly for the reference family of four. Nine families for twelve months would cost approximately $102,168. * Housing: National Low Income Housing Coalition, Out of Reach 2026 — Iowa (https://nlihc.org/oor/state/ia). Statewide two-bedroom fair-market rent: $1,112 monthly. Eight households for twelve months would cost $106,752. [9] Police investigative-report confidentiality Iowa Code § 22.7(5). Iowa Public Information Board, Advisory Opinion 23AO:0003 (August 17, 2023), Confidentiality of Police Investigative Files. Explains that investigative-report confidentiality is qualified, rather than categorical. https://ipib.iowa.gov/23ao0003-confidentiality-police-investigative-files