Regarding the use of Flock, or Flock-type camera systems by our Sheriff’s Department, these cameras are funded with our tax dollars, but without our input or consent. Of course the argument that we are given for their use is that it will “protect” us. What we need protection from right now is overreach by our own government. When a government entity wants to invade our privacy by surveilling us, then wants to take the additional step of keeping a data base on our movements (which is one of the many purposes of data centers, another hot topic altogether), something is very wrong.
Another way of saying this is that in the name of protecting our freedoms, they are violating our freedoms by monitoring our freedoms. I do not consent to being surveilled. This is a way of baby-stepping us into being a surveillance state, which is exactly what the Constitution of the United States was designed to prevent.
The argument that, “Well, if you aren’t doing anything wrong, this shouldn’t bother you,” is not a valid argument, especially if the government gets to define what’s “wrong,” which, as you may have noticed, they keep changing the definition of, particularly when it comes to our freedoms of speech and privacy. If the Sheriff’s Department thinks that this is OK, perhaps they would be comfortable letting the citizens they serve know their every movement, where they go in their off time, where they shop, where their children go to school, etc.
The other topic I would like to comment on is regarding the 287(g) agreement that our Sheriff’s Department has entered into with ICE, which grants them the legal authority to execute ICE administrative orders in our jails. The Sheriff’s Department is a state department, and has no business assisting our corrupt federal government in violating the rights of anyone. The Livingston County Sheriff’s Department can, and should, rescind this agreement if they expect to get respect from this community.
Betsy Fear
Howell
Howell
