Documented Incident
Lewiston, Maine, Flock camera rollout draws questions over procurement and outside-agency access
First reported: August 16, 2026 · 2 sources
Lewiston police signed a roughly $70,000 first-year contract with Flock Safety in June 2025 using a Byrne Community Grant, and now operate 13 automated license plate reader cameras. Records obtained by the ACLU of Maine show about 1,157 searches over a five-week period, hundreds attributed to outside law enforcement agencies; police say outside agencies cannot search freely and must have a memorandum of understanding and a legitimate law enforcement purpose. Police credit the system with helping resolve 14 shootings and other serious crimes, while some city councilors say they were not told the grant would fund a searchable ALPR database and that police have declined to identify which agencies share data.
The dispute centers on whether elected officials and residents had meaningful notice before a surveillance network was acquired, and whether audit logs and memoranda of understanding are enough oversight when data is stored on a vendor's platform.
Key facts
- Contract signed June 2025 for $69,900, funded by a $70,000 Byrne Community Grant; city procurement rules did not require a council vote.
- Flock had quoted $115,000 for a first year with five cameras and about $102,000 annually thereafter, per ACLU of Maine records; 13 cameras are now installed.
- ACLU records show roughly 1,157 searches in a five-week window, with hundreds attributed to outside agencies.
- Lt. Derrick St. Laurent says data sharing requires an MOU meeting or exceeding LPD policy, and that partner agencies are Maine municipal agencies but will not be named due to ongoing investigations.
- Councilor Scott Harriman says the June 2025 council approval described only 'surveillance cameras' with no mention of automated scanning or a searchable database; police say the technology was discussed publicly, including an Oct. 21, 2025 presentation.
Sources
This summary was written from the published reporting below and links to it; BlockFlockNow does not reproduce article text.
- Lewiston use of Flock cameras leads to scrutiny of access , oversight (sunjournal.com, August 16, 2026)
- Lewiston’s use of Flock cameras leads to scrutiny of access, oversight (Sun Journal, August 16, 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 August 20, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.