Board to Vote on Flock Camera Contract

Evansville's Board of Public Safety will decide on a one-year Flock Safety camera contract at its November 18 meeting.

Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Law Enforcement

Bold flat-color editorial illustration of a plain pole-mounted camera silhouetted against a pale sky above a stone building edge, evoking the surveillance debate. — Evansville's Board of Public Safety will vote November 18 on renewing a one-year Flock Safety license-plate camera contract as public commenters urge the board not to renew. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Live Poll

Should Evansville keep funding Flock license-plate cameras for police?

The Evansville Board of Public Safety has scheduled a vote for Wednesday, November 18, 2026, on a new one-year contract with Flock Safety for police cameras. The current contract expires two days after the scheduled vote.

Why it matters

The decision determines whether Evansville continues using Flock's license-plate-logging cameras, which record the make and model of passing vehicles. Public commenters have asked the board not to renew, citing concerns about immigrant targeting, security, and potential police misuse.

The Board of Public Safety has $182,000 budgeted for Flock cameras, and the contract vote is set for 1 p.m. Wednesday, November 18, 2026, in Room 301 of the Civic Center. The outcome of that vote remains undetermined.

The players

Flock Safety

Flock Safety is a company that sells automated license plate reader and camera systems to law enforcement agencies across the United States.

Evansville Board of Public Safety

The Evansville Board of Public Safety is the city body that oversees police policy and contracts and will vote on the Flock renewal.

Phil Smith

Phil Smith is the Evansville Police Chief who asked the board to adopt one-year police contract increments.

The details

Evansville Police Chief Phil Smith asked the board to move police contracts to one-year increments as a good-faith effort with the community. Public commenters asked that the Flock contract not be renewed, and a council meeting was ended abruptly last week during a discussion on the technology.

Monday, October 5, 2026: City budget passed with $182,000 for Flock cameras.
Wednesday, November 4, 2026: Board discussed Flock and held public comment.
Wednesday, November 18, 2026: Scheduled vote on the new one-year Flock contract at 1 p.m.

Legal Context

Several communities around the country have ended their contracts with Flock Safety, the vendor whose Falcon cameras log license plates and vehicle make and model. Evansville's November 18 vote will determine whether the city joins or departs from that trend.

Residents of Evansville will see whether police continue using Flock's license-plate-logging cameras in their neighborhoods. Public attendance at the November 18 meeting is one way residents can weigh in before the board decides.

The takeaway

Residents who want to influence the outcome can attend the Board of Public Safety vote at 1 p.m. on November 18, 2026, in Room 301 of the Civic Center. The decision will set how long Evansville's Flock contract runs.

What happens next

The Board of Public Safety is scheduled to vote on the new one-year Flock contract at 1 p.m. Wednesday, November 18, 2026, in Room 301 of the Civic Center.