Columbia residents and business owners are actively participating in discussions about the city’s future direction as local officials reconsider their reliance on Flock Safety surveillance cameras.
The City Council voted 5-2 during a Monday evening session to instruct staff not to proceed with automatic renewal of the city’s contracts with the company. Several residents and municipal leaders expressed concern regarding the timing of the vote and whether the community had been given adequate notice to prepare for such a consequential decision.
According to Columbia’s Flock Transparency Portal, more than 100 cameras are currently installed throughout the city.
For Matt Jenne, co-owner of Addison’s restaurant and chair of the Columbia Chamber of Commerce, the primary concern centers on the implications for public safety in the absence of the surveillance system.
“I think it’s pretty clear, you know, that you just look at the incidents that occurred on Halloween. We were able to use the Flock camera system to be able to apprehend the people that did the shooting.”
In the early morning hours of Saturday, October 31, approximately 30 shots were fired in downtown Columbia during what Police Chief Jill Schlude described as a gang-related incident. She confirmed that video footage from the scene was gathered through a combination of private surveillance systems and Flock Safety cameras.
**Businesses look for a path forward**
Jenne emphasized that the vitality of local businesses depends heavily on customers feeling secure when visiting the downtown area.
“For businesses to succeed, we have to have customers. And those customers have to feel safe going into those businesses.”
Should the city fail to provide an alternative security solution, Jenne indicated that the Chamber of Commerce is exploring ways to unite businesses in collectively sharing the financial burden of security infrastructure.
Nevertheless, he expressed a clear preference for the city to assume leadership in identifying a replacement system rather than placing the responsibility on individual business owners.
“Continuing to rely on the city would be the preferred option because the city can then coordinate through the police department to be able to effect this in a more effective way.”
Jenne acknowledged the legitimacy of residents’ concerns regarding surveillance and maintained that any viable alternative must safeguard civil liberties while still fostering a sense of security in the downtown corridor.
**Council members respond to vote**
Third Ward Councilperson Jacque Sample was among the two council members who voted in opposition to the motion during Monday’s special meeting, which had been convened specifically to review the city’s Flock contract and conduct a public hearing on the matter.
In a statement shared via Facebook, Sample indicated that she had understood the special meeting to be an opportunity for public input and open discussion, rather than a session in which the council would arrive at a final decision.
Sample clarified that her objection was not necessarily directed at terminating the Flock contracts themselves, but rather at the decision being made before the public engagement process she believed the council had committed to was fully completed.
“Transparency is not simply about holding meetings in public or allowing residents to speak. It also means being clear about when decisions will be made and giving people a meaningful opportunity to participate before those decisions occur.”
Fourth Ward Councilperson Sharon Jones described the decision as an important first step in assessing how the city can strike a balance between public safety and residents’ right to privacy. Jones voted in favor of ending the Flock Safety contracts during Monday’s session.
In a Facebook post, Jones stated that she is currently reviewing the city’s Community Control Over Police Surveillance ordinance and examining how cameras are deployed across Columbia.
During a phone conversation on Tuesday, Jones also noted her intention to request reports from departments including Utilities and Parks and Recreation in order to better understand their operational needs and investigate potential alternatives.
The Utilities Department and the Parks and Recreation Department collectively manage 16 Flock cameras on properties under their jurisdiction, which are overseen by the police department, according to the city.
“A lot is going to happen between now and March.”
Jones confirmed that the cameras will continue to operate until the current contracts reach their expiration date, as the existing agreements do not include provisions for early termination.
**Finding a balance**
Jenne stated that the Chamber of Commerce is committed to bringing businesses and broader community stakeholders together to develop a solution that meaningfully addresses both public safety and privacy considerations.
“Something that still allows the people to feel safe downtown, but also feel like they’re not being constantly surveilled.”
For the time being, the city’s surveillance cameras will remain operational until their contracts expire in the coming year. Municipal leaders have several months ahead of them to carefully evaluate how Columbia will approach public safety following the conclusion of its agreements with Flock Safety.
