CAREY, Idaho — A Flock license plate reader camera along Highway 20 in Carey is coming down after city leaders say they were never told it was being installed — and Blaine County Sheriff Morgan Ballis says he's taking it out.
The camera sits along Idaho Transportation Department right-of-way on Highway 20 within Carey city limits. Carey Mayor Logan Davis says its presence caught everyone off guard.
WATCH | Blaine County Sheriff Morgan Ballis says he will remove a Flock license plate camera from Carey after the city says it was installed without their knowledge.
"It was installed without anyone's knowledge here at the local level. That process did not involve local elected officials or awareness in the voice of local residents," Davis said.
Davis says his office has spent the last year working to get the camera removed. The city had also been preparing a new ordinance to strongly limit the use of automated license plate readers within city limits. Only hours before that ordinance was set to be deliberated, Ballis announced he would pull the camera.
"The location of the camera was selected before I took office — and I feel that it is necessary to correct that area, so we are removing that Flock camera since the council and citizens did not approve that," Ballis said.
"We're grateful that Sheriff Ballis is doing the right thing and removing the camera — this is not a party issue; folks do not want these cameras... there are concerns," Davis said.
Ballis also says he is pausing any new Flock contract extensions.
"Our current contract with our Flock cameras will expire in March of 27 — there is an auto-renew clause in that contract — we have notified Flock that we will not auto renew that contract — however, we're going to provide an opportunity for our citizens to speak directly to the sheriff and our commissioners to make a final determination on whether or not we will renew that contract," Ballis said.
Beyond privacy concerns, the funding behind the Flock contract in Blaine County may also be in question. The current $60,000 per-year contract was funded through civil forfeitures — a source Ballis says cannot last.
"That is not a sustainable funding source — and that's also part of the conversation about bringing this in front of the commissioners and the community — if the commissioners want to also make that investment to keep this asset in Blaine County," Ballis said.
Ballis says he has directed Flock to remove the camera as soon as possible. If that timeline does not work, he says his office will take action to make the camera unusable.
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