MARTINSBURG, W.Va. — Police Chief Erin Gibbons is making it clear to the public that there are no Flock camera systems in the city
“I just don’t understand the association between the camera systems that we use and Flock, a data base that’s particular to screening any individual that comes through town, that’s not what our camera systems do,” Gibbons said last week on WEPM Radio’s Panhandle Live.
Flock cameras have generated a lot of discussion around the state including in Monongalia County where the license plate reader functioned is used by the sheriff’s department and in Huntington where a contract has been approved but city council and Huntington Mayor Patrick Farrell seek agreement on implementation.
Gibbons said explained the difference between the city’s camera system and Flock.
“These cameras are for investigative purposes,” Gibbons said about the camera’s his department uses. “We have zero interest in knowing the movement of every day citizens moving around Martinsburg.”
Gibbons said MPD’s system stores video evidence and then if needed by investigators later, the information can be used to look for vehicle descriptions.
“We don’t catalogue information about every single information about every single person going through Martinsburg and our system isn’t created that way,” Gibbons said.
The Martinsburg Police Department has no interest in bringing Flock cameras to the city any time soon, Gibbons said.
“Flock’s been out for quite a while and we have zero interest whatsoever in knowing where law-abiding citizens are going on a day-to-day basis. We have zero interest whatsoever,” he said.
WEPM Radio Reporter Luke Wiggs contributed to this story.