Greenwich Is Not Using Flock Cameras, Camillo Says

GREENWICH, CT — The use of Flock cameras in Connecticut has caused controversy in recent weeks, and First Selectman Fred Camillo is assuring residents the technology is not being used in Greenwich.

Flock cameras are automated license plate readers that capture images of passing vehicles and record license plate numbers, vehicle characteristics, the time and location of each sighting.

Police departments say the technology helps recover stolen vehicles, locate missing people and investigate crimes by alerting officers when vehicles connected to criminal investigations are detected.

Privacy advocates and residents in several Connecticut communities argue the cameras collect information on people who are not suspected of crimes and have questioned how that data is stored, shared and searched.

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In his most recent newsletter to the community, Camillo said he wanted to clear up confusion between Flock cameras and Greenwic's speed camera program.

"Flock cameras are able to capture details of passing vehicles to be stored in a data cloud that can then be used for law enforcement. This has understandably become a controversial program and I want residents to know Flock cameras have not been installed on Greenwich’s public roads," Camillo wrote.

Camillo said "there is at least one neighborhood" in town that decided to install a Flock camera, but it is not being used by the town.

Greenwich's speed camera program, which was rolled out at several school zones last fall, was put on pause and ultimately revived after issues with the approval process.

Camillo said the speed cameras will continue to only be used to detect speeders. Once the cameras are reactivated, the will only be utilized during school hours as part of the town's pedestrian safety plan, which was approved by the Representative Town Meeting.

The pedestrian safety plan, including the use of speed cameras, is being reviewed by the Connecticut Department of Transportation, Camillo noted. Once final approval is given, the cameras will become active again.

"We will have announcements on that coming soon but please rest assured that these are not Flock cameras," Camillo said.

Earlier this month, Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff, D-Norwalk, and Sen. James Maroney, D-Milford, announced they will introduce legislation during the 2027 session to further regulate Flock camera technology.

The lawmakers asked cities and towns to voluntarily pause installing new Flock automated license plate reader cameras.

— This story includes previous reporting from Patch Editor Hayleigh Evans