What the FLOCK, Millcreek?
License plate readers appear in township, raise questions and anxieties
Five Flock cameras are now operating on the premises of the Millcreek Mall Complex. During November, Millcreek Township approved a license agreement with Cafaro, which owns the complex, to place these cameras. However, constituents have expressed concerns about these controversial security cameras as contracts with the company have been criticized nationwide, with 50 documented communities ending contracts or disabling cameras, according to deflock.org.
Flock cameras, also known as License Plate Reader (LPRs) cameras, are powered by AI to capture not only a vehicle's license plate, but also its make, body type, color, and more. Flock Safety is one of the largest LPR vendors in the U.S. According to the Flock Safety website, the cameras do not collect personal information or use facial recognition.
On Feb. 9, Millcreek Township announced in a press release that "any access to camera data is limited to authorized law enforcement personnel and is governed by applicable law, policy, and safeguards." Although only local law enforcement has access to the data, Cafaro may also be able to access the data if requested, according to the license agreement between Cafaro and Millcreek Township.
Flock does not share their data directly with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), though a 2025 study conducted by the University of Washington ("Leaving the Door Wide Open: Flock Surveillance Systems Expose Washington Data to Immigration Enforcement") found that eight Washington State law enforcement agencies directly shared their networks with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in 2025 and Flock audits revealed that DHS accessed data from at least 10 Washington police departments without explicit authorization.
During the Feb. 10 Millcreek Supervisors Meeting, constituents expressed concerns about the security of the cameras and potential hacking. Caleb Sundance, a software engineer, said the cameras can easily be hacked by individuals outside of the entity that owns them. Sundance has been vocal about this issue at other Erie County and City Council meetings as well. Another constituent, Daniel Braman said the AI-collected data is held for 30 days, and because the cameras have wireless signals, it is easy to piggyback off of those signals. The National Vulnerability Database published a Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) on Flock in October 2025 (CVE-2025-59403), citing that the application that some Flock LPRs run on "lacks authentication," leaving them vulnerable to information disclosure or complete compromise. In Nov. 2025, Flock released a statement saying: "Overall, none of the vulnerabilities detailed in the report have an impact on our customers' ability to carry out their public safety objectives. Exploitation of these vulnerabilities would not only require physical access to a device, but also require intimate knowledge of internal device hardware."
Beyond the nationwide scrutiny of Flock Safety, there were some concerning discrepancies between Millcreek's public statements and what was written in the license agreement between the township and Cafaro, specifically relating to the extent of the installations and financial liability. The contract was available in the agenda packet for the Nov. 11 Supervisors meeting.
"Whether or not we had an agreement, those cameras would still be there," Supervisor Jim Bock said during the Millcreek Supervisors Meeting on Jan. 27. However, in the opening sentence of the contract, it states that: "You (Millcreek) previously advised licensor (Cafaro) that you are installing Flock wireless solar-powered license plate reader cameras ("Cameras") throughout Millcreek Township and expressed a desire to install several on the grounds of the Shopping Center."
In terms of costs, the contract states that Millcreek will install the cameras "at its sole cost and expense," and that the licensor (Cafaro) will make a one-time payment of $3,250 to Millcreek to cover installation costs. The Reader filed a public records request for potential documents illustrating the costs of the cameras, but was denied on the grounds that Millcreek Township did not pay installation or subscription fees.
The Reader reached out to Millcreek Township Supervisor Kim Clear for clarification on the discrepancies. During a phone call, Clear told us that they would be revisiting the language and will make amendments to the contract. She restated that the cameras were installed at no cost to the township and that they were approached by Cafaro to install LPRs to help with theft, not the other way around.
However, in March two supervisor meetings came and went with no mention of amendments to the contract. I didn't receive any update about the cameras after multiple requests for comment.
On April 1, City Council President Tyler Titus explained that Flock cameras are a cause for concern. "This is an incredibly dangerous area that we as council need to be aware of," they said. "Anybody from around the world can tap into these cameras and watch our residents anytime. That's the kind of power."
The next Millcreek Township Board of Supervisors regular meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Apr. 28 at 6 p.m. Meetings are held in the Township Assembly Room at 3608 W. 26th St.
Alana Sabol can be reached at alana@eriereader.com
