Documented Incident
Cumberland, R.I. Town Council votes 6-1 to terminate town's Flock Safety ALPR contract
Event: October 15, 2026 · First reported: October 15, 2026 · 7 sources
The Cumberland Town Council voted 6-1 to authorize Mayor Jeffrey Mutter to end the town's contract with Flock Safety, citing concerns about how license plate reader data is stored, shared and accessed. The vote followed a lawsuit filed against the Cumberland Police Department by East Providence resident Eva Pizzarelli, who alleges she was falsely arrested; the allegations have not been adjudicated. The R.I. ACLU had publicly urged the council to discontinue the cameras, according to Cumberland resident and ACLU board member Craig Cerwonka. The town first approved a two-year Flock contract in September 2024.
Cumberland's reversal shows how a single contested arrest and sustained resident pressure can lead a municipality to drop an ALPR system it adopted two years earlier, offering other councils a template for revisiting surveillance contracts at renewal.
Key facts
- Council voted 6-1 to authorize termination of the Flock contract; Councilor Timothy Magill cast the lone no vote, calling the system an 'invaluable tool.'
- The town first authorized a two-year Flock ALPR contract in September 2024.
- The R.I. ACLU urged discontinuation after East Providence resident Eva Pizzarelli sued the Cumberland Police Department over what she says was a false arrest.
- Resident Joseph Wilkicki told the council the Institute for Justice has tracked more than 100 incidents of reported misuse or wrongful arrests nationwide between 2024 and the present.
- Councilors Robert Shaw and Peter Bradley said their objection was to data management and the company's compliance with contract terms rather than the technology itself.
Sources
This summary was written from the published reporting below and links to it; BlockFlockNow does not reproduce article text.
- Cumberland council votes to terminate Flock contract (The Valley Breeze, October 15, 2026)
- Midland City Council votes to terminate Flock contract for license plate reader cameras (newswest9.com, October 13, 2026)
- Midland City Council votes to terminate Flock contract for license plate reader cameras (newswest9.com, October 13, 2026)
- Flock Safety camera contract terminated by Midland City Council (Beaumont Enterprise, October 13, 2026)
- Flock Safety camera contract terminated by Midland City Council (Midland Reporter-Telegram, October 13, 2026)
- Midland City Council votes to end Flock camera contract (CBS7, October 13, 2026)
- Midland City Council votes to terminate Flock contract for license plate reader cameras (Yahoo, October 13, 2026)
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About this record
BlockFlockNow documents reported incidents involving Flock Safety cameras and automated license plate readers: council votes, contract decisions, misuse by authorized users, lawsuits, audits, and community response. Every record is reviewed by a person before publication. New to the topic? Start with What is Flock?, find meetings near you, or learn how to request your town's camera records.
Updated October 19, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.