Haverhill Reviews Flock Safety Contract as Council Drafts Surveillance Rules

The City of Haverhill, Massachusetts, is reconsidering its procurement of automated license plate reader cameras as local officials weigh privacy, public safety, and data protection concerns. The city is working to cancel its current contract with Flock Safety, while the Haverhill City Council drafts a surveillance ordinance that would set rules for the use of surveillance technology. The contract is under review and cancellation efforts are underway, but the available information does not specify the contract’s value or a cancellation date.

The proposed ordinance is not yet adopted. A council vote is expected in the coming weeks, leaving the city’s policy and procurement direction unsettled in the near term. The proposal would require public input before future surveillance-technology contracts and establish rules for how such technology may be used. For vendors and contracting teams, this points to a potential change in the pathway to an award: future procurements may be shaped not only by technical requirements and price, but also by public review and locally defined limits on operations.

Data safeguards are a central consideration in the debate. Haverhill City Councilor Devan Ferreira questioned whether cloud-based license plate reader systems adequately protect information, saying, “I just don't believe license plate readers at this point that are cloud based have the safeguards in place to keep our data safe.” That concern makes security architecture, data handling, access controls, retention practices, and clear descriptions of operational policies relevant to any future proposal. The source does not identify specific technical standards or ordinance provisions, so suppliers should avoid assuming what requirements the final rules will impose.

For the Haverhill Police and prospective suppliers, the immediate procurement implication is uncertainty rather than a defined new solicitation. If the current contract is canceled and the ordinance is adopted, the city could reconsider whether, and under what conditions, to procure license plate reader technology again. Companies tracking this market should monitor the council’s drafting and vote, prepare to explain data-protection measures in plain language, and account for the possibility that public input becomes part of future acquisition planning. Public-safety objectives remain part of the local discussion alongside privacy and cybersecurity concerns.

• Flock Safety’s current license plate reader contract is under review, and cancellation efforts are underway; no contract value or cancellation date is provided.
• The proposed surveillance ordinance is still being drafted and has not been adopted.
• A Haverhill City Council vote on the proposed ordinance is expected in the coming weeks.
• The proposal would establish rules for surveillance-technology use and require public input before future contracts.
• The ordinance’s final requirements remain unknown; suppliers should monitor council action rather than treat proposed provisions as settled policy.
• Councilor Devan Ferreira raised concerns about whether cloud-based readers have adequate safeguards to protect data.
• Future vendors may need to clearly address cloud security, data protection, and operational policies in proposals and public-facing materials.
• Haverhill Police and prospective suppliers should plan for a procurement environment balancing public safety with privacy and security considerations.