Documented Incident
Ithaca Common Council votes unanimously to terminate Flock Safety contract, remove 22 cameras
Event: March 4, 2025 · First reported: May 19, 2026 · 1 source
On March 4, Ithaca's Common Council voted unanimously to end the city's contract with Flock Safety and decommission all 22 license plate readers operating within city limits, along with gunshot and audio detection devices. The resolution directs the acting city manager and Office of the City Attorney to pursue termination as soon as legally possible, with equipment to be disconnected within 14 days of enactment and physically removed by Flock "as soon as practicable." The vote followed months of advocacy by the group Flock Off Ithaca, which held demonstrations outside City Hall on Feb. 4 and March 4.
Ithaca's decision shows a council reconciling a police-supported surveillance tool with a sanctuary city policy, and the contract terms cited during debate — over vendor data use and third-party disclosure — are the same clauses other municipalities are now reviewing.
Key facts
- The Common Council voted unanimously on March 4 to terminate the Flock contract; the city's 22 cameras are to be shut down within 14 days of enactment.
- Alderperson Robin Trumble, who proposed the resolution, argued private surveillance technology conflicts with Ithaca's sanctuary city policy, reaffirmed by council in February 2025 and first adopted in 2017.
- Acting City Attorney Catherine Muskin pointed to contract Section 5.3, which she said permits Flock to disclose footage to law enforcement or third parties under a "good faith belief" standard; Trumble cited Section 4.3 on Flock's use of customer data.
- IPD Chief Thomas Kelly said the system was used in 125 instances over the prior six months, that access is now limited to the county, and urged the council not to decide based on anecdotes.
- The Tompkins County Sheriff's Office operates a separate set of 22 cameras, and Cornell University, Cayuga Heights and Trumansburg hold independent Flock contracts; County Legislator Adam Vinson said the county plans its own review working group.
Sources
This summary was written from the published reporting below and links to it; BlockFlockNow does not reproduce article text.
- Flock Safety Set to Exit Ithaca Following Common Council Vote (ithaca.com, May 19, 2026)
More from New York
Everything we have documented in New York, or search every New York article in the archive.
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 August 10, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.