Carmel Mayor Sue Finkam’s Defense Of Flock Cameras
- Cameras aid law enforcement but raise privacy concerns, questioning broader implications of a surveillance state.
- Balancing public safety and individual freedoms is crucial, as the founders warned against erosion of rights.
- Conversation needed on the kind of society we want, not just about defunding police but the right approach to security.
Carmel Mayor Sue Finkam’s Defense Of Flock Cameras
Tony Katz was joined this morning by Mayor Sue Finkham of Carmel, Indiana, to discuss the recent summit she attended with area mayors on how to contain Indianapolis crime, but the conversation soon turned to the city’s use of Flock cameras, a surveillance system that has been at the center of controversy. The conversation quickly turned heated as Tony, expressed his strong opposition to the cameras, calling them “terrible” and “invasive of privacy.”
“You think they caught some bad guys,” Tony said, “What else did you find? Who else was looked at? Who else was tracked? Who else was categorized?” He questioned the effectiveness of the cameras, pointing out that the city’s argument that they are a valuable crime-fighting tool is flawed. “The surveillance state is not one of value,” he emphasized. “Demanding that Marion County do its damn job, that the prosecutor do his blankin’ job, and that the mayor actually does his blankin’ job that makes sense to me”
Tony’s concerns are not just about the cameras themselves, but about the broader implications of a surveillance state. He pointed out that if the city’s argument is that the cameras make the job of law enforcement easier, then why not take away the expectation of privacy in private as well? “Why don’t we just take away any expectation of privacy period?” he asked. “If that’s the argument, I have no expectation of privacy in public. True, people can see me. Yes, somebody can record what’s going on in the street. Absolutely, that’s the citizen. The government, well, that’s a whole different thing.”
The conversation also touched on the idea that the city’s use of Flock cameras is not just about public safety, but about the erosion of individual rights. Tony referenced the founding fathers, saying, “Ben Franklin was asked to what kind of country did you give us? He said, a republic if you can keep it.” He emphasized that the country’s founders understood the importance of balancing public safety with individual freedoms.
Tony made it clear that he is not opposed to law enforcement, but rather to the city’s approach to surveillance. “I’m not saying we should defund the police,” he said. “I’m saying we should have a conversation about what kind of society we want to be.” He encouraged listeners to join the conversation and to think critically about the implications of a surveillance state.
If you’re interested in hearing more of this important conversation, we encourage you to listen to the full segment: Carmel Mayor Sue Finkam’s Defense Of Flock Cameras, and join the discussion.
Listen Sue Finkam and Summit of Area Mayors here:
