Let's catch everybody up
The contract may be signed, but the issue is not settled.
Where are we today?
At the February 3rd Woodstock city council meeting, the proposed 3-year contract with Flock Safety for 6 ai-controlled point-tilt-zoom cameras was approved by a 4-3 vote:
Votes for:
Mayor Michael Turner
Bob Seegers Jr.
Tom Nierman
Gregg Hanson
Votes against:
Melissa McMahon
Natalie Ziemba
Darrin Flynn
This February 4th article in the Northwest Herald by Claire O’Brien covered the meeting well: “Woodstock will install Flock cameras in the Square, despite strong opposition; 1 a.m. vote followed 5-hour discussion.”1
The official city council meeting minutes2 excerpted below gave a pretty accurate account of the evening, emphasis mine:
Thirty-one people shared their opinions and information pertaining to their opposition to the installation of security cameras in the Square. One speaker was supportive of security cameras on the Square; one speaker was neutral to the installation of cameras, offering his expertise in the area of security cameras. The following are some of their comments.
Concerned with Flock’s use of AI technology, concerned with Flock’s privacy of data as they believe there have been data leaks, opined that Flock is more prone to hacking than other companies, opined that Flock has been sloppy with DHS and ICE, would feel less safe with the addition of these cameras, opined theses security cameras would be a violation of the 4th amendment, worried about who owns this data, believed that Flock cameras can zoom into people’s faces and follow them, was OK with normal cameras on the Square, concerned with data being indexed and easily accessible, concerned that Council has already decided how they will vote, would feel racially profiled by security cameras, opined that the cameras won’t be able to stop crime, had incredible distrust in corporations, opined that having Flock cameras everywhere is like having ICE agents watching him, read that the footage is used for training purposes, stated that Flock’s website shared sex, race, etc., concerned that the cameras are tracking people, shared that facial recognition is not allowed in Illinois except for sex offenders, not concerned since a lot of stores already have security cameras in place, said that Woodstock’s crime rate is lower than that of the state of IL and the federal government, would like information about a closed-circuit option, concerned about the tracking of citizens, stated they’d take their business elsewhere if these cameras were installed…
You can and should read the city council minutes, but the fact is none of the yes voters made any attempt to address any of the concerns brought before them. The mayor also dismissed us as the “loudest people in the room.”
So what now?
Mayor turner made the tiebreaking vote for the cameras, but as a concession added to the motion:
A 120-day cancellation clause for the term of the contract at the City’s sole discretion, without cause.
The non-appropriation clause is to be retained in the final agreement.
A review by the City Attorney’s Office of all data security, ownership, and related issues, which could be performed administratively.
A clause within the final agreement that prevents the utilization of facial recognition by this technology. This point is moot. Flock’s own marketing materials touts one search for LPR and video data. Your name and vehicle registration are tied to your license plate, your license plate is logged when you enter and exit town, your license plate is tied to your Vehicle Fingerprint™, the profile the Condor cameras builds on you (clothing, height, weight, gender, race, gait analysis, etc3) will be tied to your car’s Vehicle Fingerprint™ when you step out of it, and the Condor cameras will track your movements around the square.4
A modification to the final agreement that does not allow Woodstock’s data to be used for AI training. With no way to meaningfully audit the data Flock Safety collects with its cameras, there is no way to verify this.
Point 1 is the important one. We’ll be spreading information and collecting signatures from every farmer’s market and public event we can purchase a booth at or can get invited to. We’re going to contact every small business on and around the square and every seller at the farmer’s market. Signage is being planned. People are being mobilized.
We’re not going to stop our efforts until (at least) the last of those 120 days.
How you can help
In order of impact:
Add your name to the petition and share with people you know who may be concerned
Contact the mayor and city council directly. Note: bring facts and respect. Being mean or abusive may be cathartic, but does not help our cause.
Bring your concerns to a city council meeting (you’ll probably find at least one of us there). A public comment period occurs near the beginning of every bi-weekly meeting
If you have any ideas to share or would like to get involved, contact us by hitting the button below or shooting an email to stopflockinwoodstock@proton.me
If we can’t get the mayor and city council to grasp the consequences of bringing this bullshit to our town and reverse course, we’ll do everything in our power to make sure the people remember who is responsible at the next election.
Mayor Michael Turner:
815-338-4302
mturner@woodstockil.gov
Council Member Bob Seegers, Jr:
815-321-4482
bseegers@woodstockil.gov
Council Member Tom Nierman:
815-321-4479
tnierman@woodstockil.gov
Council Member Gregg Hanson:
815-321-4483
ghanson@woodstockil.gov
Northwest Herald, February 4th, 2026 - “Woodstock will install Flock cameras in the Square, despite strong opposition; 1 a.m. vote followed 5-hour discussion”: https://www.shawlocal.com/northwest-herald/2026/02/04/woodstock-will-install-flock-cameras-in-the-square-despite-strong-opposition/
Woodstock city council meeting minutes, February 3rd, 2026: https://woodstockil.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_02032026-581
US Patent US11416545B1 - “System and method for object based query of video content captured by a dynamic surveillance network”: https://patents.google.com/patent/US11416545B1/en
Flock Safety - Flock FreeForm™ Search: https://www.flocksafety.com/products/flock-freeform