HOPKINTON — The Town of Hopkinton is announcing today that it has terminated its contract with Flock Safety after a legal review of the service contract.
A legal review of the contract between the Town and the company found that statutory deficiencies make the agreement unlawful under Massachusetts law. After receiving counsel’s review, the Town decided to terminate the contract.
The Town formally notified Flock Safety of the termination on Thursday, Aug. 20, effective immediately. The Town has asked Flock to turn off the cameras as soon as possible and physically remove them from town by Sept. 30.
“Municipal contracts must comply with procurement law, and it is our duty to ensure that we meet those standards, acting in the best interests of our residents and taxpayers. Once we found deficiencies in the existing contract, we acted to end the agreement,” Town Manager Elaine Lazarus said.
“Public trust depends on both effective public safety and responsible, transparent government,” said Hopkinton Select Board Chair Shahidul Mannan. “When concerns were raised about this contract, the Town took them seriously, reviewed the matter carefully, and acted promptly based on the findings. As we look ahead, the Select Board supports a thoughtful and transparent review of law enforcement technologies — one that considers public safety needs, privacy, appropriate oversight, legal and procurement requirements, and community input before decisions are made about their future use.”
The Town of Hopkinton will conduct a broad review of the law enforcement tools and technology used by the Hopkinton Police Department, including automated license plate readers. The review will consider operational needs, privacy protections, oversight, transparency and the procurement process.
“Automated license plate reader technology has proven that it can be a very valuable tool in criminal investigations and active emergencies,” said Interim Police Chief Scott van Raalten. “Even so, we recognize that our community has raised legitimate concerns, and we take those seriously. We remain committed to transparency and to ensuring this and future technology reflects the values and priorities of our community going forward.”
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