JEROME, Idaho — Conversations around Flock Safety cameras are happening across Idaho — including in Jerome, where the city council recently voted to remove funding for the cameras from its 2027 budget.
Jerome Police Chief Duane Rubink said the city entered into a contract with Flock Safety for 2026, and while cameras had not been installed, the department did have access to the automated license plate reader network.
"It's a great tool for us, and it really speeds up our investigations, gives us some immediate access to things that would otherwise take weeks or more, and so it's been a great tool to have in the area," Rubink said.
Rubink said the technology is designed to limit what information is collected — including a vehicle's make, model and license plate. However, concerns about how that data is used and where it's stored have grown in Idaho and across the country.
That pushback reached Jerome City Council last week, when members removed $14,000 set aside for Flock cameras from the city's 2027 budget.
Jerome neighbor Oop Johnson said he thinks anyone carrying a cell phone should expect to be tracked, but he still has reservations about the technology.
"The only thing I really have against it is the misuse of it by the people in power," Johnson said.
I asked Johnson whether he had concerns about privacy violations related to the cameras.
"If you're not doing nothing wrong you don't have to worry about it, but I think our privacy is invaded and not by everything you know... So I mean, I don't have an opinion one way or the other how much privacy is gonna be invaded that isn't already," Johnson said.
The council's decision shows some residents and leaders still have questions about how that information could be used.
Rubink said the department is not giving up on the effort.
"At this point, we're just going to regroup and see if the council will look at it again next year," Rubink said.
The legislature is expected to take up Flock camera rules in the 2027 legislative session in Boise.
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