The Sanford City Council unanimously reversed its prior approval for a trial of Flock Safety’s AI-powered roadside cameras. The initial decision to test the license plate reading technology for 60 days came after police successfully located a stolen car. However, council members and residents quickly raised significant privacy concerns, focusing on the centralized storage of collected data, the potential for sharing information with state and federal agencies, and documented issues with misidentification. Deputy Mayor Maura Herlihy expressed regret over her initial vote, and another council member stated, “We’re not ready for this technology.” Despite Flock’s assertion that its cameras lack facial recognition, officials acknowledged the system could still identify individuals by other means, such as clothing. The strong public backlash prompted the council to cancel the program, deeming the surveillance technology unsuitable for the city.