To the Editor:
I am a Tewksbury resident writing to raise concerns about the Flock Safety license plate reader cameras installed throughout our town, and to let my neighbors know that a formal review is now underway.
Most residents don’t know these cameras exist. More than 20 of them photograph every vehicle that passes: not just suspects, not just stolen cars, but every one of us going about our daily lives. By my estimate that adds up to a million records per year on Tewksbury residents.
Here is what our own public records requests have revealed. Tewksbury’s contract with Flock is a single signature page. The actual governing terms are whatever Flock posts on its website, and Flock has changed those terms multiple times without notifying the town. When the Town Manager formally asked Flock to produce the original contract terms, Flock refused. Three times. When asked to identify material changes requiring customer notice, Flock answered: “N/A.”
Flock confirmed that our residents’ images are incorporated permanently into Flock’s AI training system and cannot be deleted even after our contract ends. They confirmed there is no breach notification provision. Of 18 questions the Town Manager posed, 12 were answered deficiently by the town’s own assessment.
This isn’t a partisan issue. Nationwide, at least 80 communities have canceled Flock contracts. In Massachusetts alone: Cambridge terminated after Flock reinstalled cameras without authorization. Watertown canceled. Natick canceled. Framingham has stated: “At this time we have not renewed the Flock Safety contract while those concerns are under review.”
Police Chief Columbus and members of our Select Board are now engaged in a formal review. A Flock representative will be present at an upcoming Select Board meeting [editor’s note: on Tuesday, June 23, 2026 at 7pm at Tewksbury Town Hall]. I encourage every Tewksbury resident to get engaged on this topic.
Thank You,
-Dustin Weir
Tewksbury Resident
Like Wilmington Apple on Facebook. Follow Wilmington Apple on Twitter. Follow Wilmington Apple on Instagram. Subscribe to Wilmington Apple’s daily email newsletter HERE. Got a comment, question, photo, press release, or news tip? Email wilmingtonapple@gmail.com.
Wilmington Apple 