EXCELSIOR SPRINGS, Mo. — KSHB 41 News reporter Lauren Schwentker covers stories in the Northland, including in Clay and Platte counties. Have a story idea? Send her an email.
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All 15 Flock Safety cameras in Excelsior Springs were covered with trash bags Tuesday, one day after the City Council voted unanimously to end the city’s contract with the automated license plate reader company.
Excelsior Springs Public Works covered the cameras following Monday night’s City Council meeting.
The council unanimously approved an ordinance that stops city funds from going toward the Flock master services agreement in the 2027 fiscal year and directs the city manager to terminate the agreement within 30 days.
Excelsior Springs Police Chief Gregory Dull said Tuesday he had mixed emotions about the decision.
“I guess it's a mix of emotions,” Dull said. “I'm disappointed that it's a tool that we've been able to use to help victims of crime, and we're not going to be able to do that anymore.”
Dull said he believed safeguards that the city had in place protected the public’s privacy. He also said he has heard from residents who supported the technology but may not have been as vocal about their position.
“I’ve had numerous people on the street, people that I've encountered who are supportive of it,” Dull said. “They see the value of it, but they're not ones who go and let their voices be heard at public forums or show up at city council meetings.”
The cameras had faced growing opposition from some residents in recent months.
In September, residents raised concerns about the cameras during an informational town hall after Flock cameras were found damaged across Clay and Platte counties.
Some residents also circulated a petition calling for the cameras to be turned off.
“The goal is to get as many signatures as possible so city council knows that we want them turned off,” Bridgette Alter, who helped gather petition signatures, previously told KSHB 41.
Organizers said the petition ultimately gathered more than 1,000 signatures.
Residents who opposed the cameras welcomed the council’s decision.
“I'm opposed to government surveillance,” Duane Loomis said.
“I'm glad they are coming down,” Carl Driskill said.
The debate in Excelsior Springs comes amid broader scrutiny of automated license plate readers across the Kansas City area and Missouri. Law enforcement agencies in communities including Parkville and Lee’s Summit have changed policies surrounding Flock cameras.
On Sept. 16, Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe signed an executive order establishing guidelines for law enforcement agencies’ use of automated license plate reader technology. Later that week, U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley invited executives from companies behind the technology to testify before Congress.
Despite losing access to the cameras, Dull said the Excelsior Springs Police Department will continue its crime prevention efforts using methods it relied on before the city began using the technology.
“We're going to go back to at least the way we did, but we're still going to be committed to preventing crime and disorder in this town, and we'll do what we can to do that,” Dull said.
Dull said the City Council’s decision does not necessarily mean Flock cameras will never return to Excelsior Springs.
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