MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Candidates for a state Senate seat are making their positions known when it comes to the use of Flock cameras.
Incumbent Senator Mike Oliverio, R-Monongalia, Delegate John Williamson, D-Monongalia, and Libertarian Taylor Richmond are seeking the 13th District seat.
Richmond said Flock cameras give government too much power.
“Law enforcement can obtain the data and surveillance information they need to help track down the wrongdoers in our society, maybe not as quickly as having Flock, but there is a government control and overreach that I’m concerned about,” Richmond said Monday on WAJR’s “Talk of the Town.”
Oliverio said when the systems are used, law enforcement agencies should be required to get a warrant. He said there are situations like abductions where police should use the devices to quickly bring an incident to an end.
“Just the everyday citizen, I think if somebody is going to pursue them in a law enforcement manner and it’s not an emergent situation, I think there should be a warrant,” Oliverio said. “We need to know why it’s being done and if it’s reasonable.
Williams has concerns about what happens to the data and who, or what entities, have access to it. He also has a reservation due to reports of misuse of the systems to track ex-spouses or family members.
“How do we make sure the data can be audited and traced, and how do we know it’s being used for the proper purposes?” Williams said.
Richmond said there is an extensive private surveillance network with doorbell cameras and private and commercial monitoring devices that could be accessed by police in the event of an emergency. The use of the systems and the data they collect, he said, is a violation of the Fourth Amendment and, depending on the way they are used, could be a violation of the First Amendment, he said.
“My stance is let’s not give government that power to begin with,” Richmond said. “Use the Fourth Amendment and let law enforcement capitalize on our expansive use of private security.”
Oliverio said the data collected by the systems should remain local and not under the control of an out-of-state vendor.
“Who is responsible for this information?” Oliverio asked. “At this point, it’s the particular law enforcement agency, and it should not be the provider, or Flock in this case. The proper custodian of the data is the sheriff.”
Williams said the Flock company has been under scrutiny for inconsistent statements and in some cases has been accused of being dishonest. That compounds the uncomfortable feelings voters express to him about the use of the cameras and storage of the data.
“I think a lot of this is folks are just terrified about this in general,” Williams said. “But it’s also a focus on Flock because of their reputation and ownership.”
The General Election is scheduled for Nov. 3.