Saranac Lake, NY
The Saranac Lake Village Board of Trustees voted 4-1 on March 9, 2026 to cancel the village's contract with Flock Safety, halting activation of cameras that had already been installed. The board's resolution also requires that any future contract for surveillance technology receive board authorization. The cameras had been funded through a $241,500 state law enforcement technology grant awarded to the village in 2024.
What moved this decision
- Cameras were installed without public discussion or a specific board vote
- Flock’s contracts with federal agencies and risk of federal access to village data
- Reported license plate reader error rates
- Residents’ data-governance, cybersecurity and transparency objections
What happened afterwards
The installed cameras were never activated. The board imposed a standing requirement that future surveillance technology contracts receive board authorization, closing the procurement gap that let the cameras be installed in the first place.
What we still don’t know
These are the records we would need to describe this decision completely. If you can help obtain them, or already have them, get in touch.
- Whether the $241,500 state grant had to be returned or reallocated
- Whether the physical camera hardware was removed and by whom