Public records show Branchburg Township, NJ, has paid Flock Safety, the surveillance camera company, more than $28,000 this year, one of at least three payments since 2024. Residents have identified Flock cameras in multiple public parking lots, including five at White Oak Park alone, but there’s no record the Township Committee has ever discussed the program in public.

A review of all Township Committee meeting agendas and minutes from June of 2023 to date includes no agenda items to discuss the placement of Flock surveillance cameras in Branchburg’s public parks. The only mentions of Flock surveillance cameras are in bill lists in the consent agenda which is passed without comment.

We, the undersigned, call on the Branchburg Township Committee, together with Branchburg’s Police Department, to hold a public meeting and explain the reasoning behind the camera locations, including what data was used to determine placements. We also want the Township to disclose how many cameras exist and where, put its data-sharing policy in writing, and build in ongoing oversight: an independent resident review, a yearly public update, and a public vote to renew the program every year instead of letting it continue automatically. Any future surveillance technology should get that same kind of public vote.

See the release at https://bbdems.com/f/jay-tilak-calls-for-public-hearing-on-flock-surveillance-cameras.