# Cabot pauses Flock camera program amid debate on civil liberties
# THV11 — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmlDq9_fpIg

Well,
now a closer look at a story we first told you about last night at 10.
Cabot has suspended its flat camera program
while city leaders review the contract and consider
what comes next.
Now some residents,
they want the cameras gone for good,
and THB 11's Katherine Rowley shows us
why the fight over privacy and public safety
is not over.
The cameras are covered,
the solar panels are unplugged,
and for now,
Cabot's license plate readers are not collecting data,
but the debate over the controversial camera is far from over.
a safety label
Cabin Mayor Ken Kincaid announced on Facebook that the
city is pausing the program for a review.
He says the discussion reflects his commitment to civil liberties.
With input from local leaders and the community,
the city council will now consider how
or
if
this technology fits into Cabot's future,
and that is where the question.
gets complicated.
Is this a temporary pause,
or is it the beginning of the end?
We're going to talk about it
collectively and figure out what makes the most sense for us.
City council member Corey Spangler has opposed the use of flat cameras.
He has drafted a proposal that would
create stronger local guidelines for their use.
What I thought was a good way for us to lock down our own operations.
Govern the things that are within our control,
um,
but there's so much at the state and federal level
that that we're preempted by that we just can't.
We can't
avoid participating
if we participate at all is what it feels like.
And so
my proposal was just to start the conversation.
Cabot resident Chris Stilian says that his
concern isn't whether cameras could help police,
it's who can access the data and under what circumstances.
He believes that cameras violate privacy.
I think that police should be able to get
data the same way as any other.
Judge
what I don't support is a system where any insight
as the debate plays out online and at City Hall,
Spangler says that he has been encouraged by the community response,
and I've just been so
excited to see
the community
standing up
for civil liberties.
The city council is expected to hold a broader
discussion about the cameras in the near future.
In Cabot,
Catherine Rowley,
THB 11 News.