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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Evansville Board of Public Safety Meeting - November 4, 2026

City Council — Wednesday, November 4, 2026

BodyEvansville, Indiana

SessionCity Council

DateWednesday, November 4, 2026

StatusNEW · FILED

Video Record

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Transcript — Verbatim

Speaker numbers apply only to this recording. Names come from transcript evidence. “Possibly” marks uncertain attribution.

Speaker 1

0:01

So we've we've been we've crossed past professionally.

0:05

You know what I mean?

Speaker 2

0:10

Okay, welcome everyone to the uh City of Evansville Board of Public Safety Meeting.

0:15

It is our 21st scheduled meeting uh of the year.

0:19

Before we get started, let's go ahead and stand for the uh Pledge of Allegiance

Speaker 3

0:26

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America

Unassigned speaker

0:30

and to the Republic

Speaker 3

0:32

for

Unassigned speaker

0:32

what you stand and visible with liberty and

Speaker 4

0:37

justice draw.

Speaker 2

0:43

Okay, as we get started with the agenda, we're gonna start out with some public uh information session, and we'd like

Unassigned speaker

0:49

to

Speaker 2

0:50

welcome Chief Smith to our meeting and come on up and have some discussion about the uh Flock camera situation.

Speaker 5

1:00

Absolutely.

1:01

Thank you uh for having me.

1:02

Now we are um I think about a couple weeks out until the expiration of uh this current contract that we have with Flock.

1:10

I believe they come in three-year increments.

1:12

Um thing that we want to be very clear that we've heard uh the voices of some of the people in the public that are against this.

1:19

There are several people that are for this.

1:21

Um I I think it'll be a good faith effort.

1:24

Um we've got the funding from council to continue the with this effort.

1:28

Uh obviously you guys approve uh contracts or not, but I think it would be a good faith effort if we do one-year contracts moving forward uh so that we can re-evaluate in partnership with the community each year instead of just having a blanketed uh three-year, five-year contract.

1:45

I I think that's a good faith effort by the Evansville Police Department.

1:48

Again, we've never had any misuse.

1:51

Um I'll remind this this body that uh when I first became chief, a different system.

1:57

Uh we had an officer misuse that system, and the first thing that I did was try to get that officer removed from the Evansville Police Department.

2:03

I don't play about that, our staff doesn't play about that.

2:06

Uh Captain McDonald, who's here with me, is over our Flock uh as far as our investigative purposes of it.

2:13

He can answer a lot of questions that I may struggle to answer because he has so much uh use of this uh together in partnership with Captain McDonald, we make sure that we have guardrails.

2:22

Uh we have a transparency portal that anybody can visit our website and see.

2:26

And I think online we have uh Mr.

2:29

Arnold, uh Phil Arnold with Flock Safety, who could give some insight as to what this is, not only for you guys, but for the audience members to tell us what Flock is and isn't.

2:40

So I don't know if he can hear me.

2:42

Can you hear me, Phil?

Unassigned speaker

2:45

I

Speaker 6

2:45

absolutely can hear you, Chief.

2:46

Thank you very much.

Speaker 5

2:47

Yes, and so

Speaker 6

2:48

I apologize for not being there in person.

Speaker 5

2:49

No, that's okay.

2:50

We understand uh Phil's uh out of town had some hardship and uh and our thoughts are with you for your family situation as well, Phil.

Unassigned speaker

2:56

Um

Speaker 5

2:57

but Phil, I thought it would be a good opportunity.

Unassigned speaker

3:02

I thought I

Speaker 5

3:03

thought it would be a good opportunity, Phil, for you to educate not only this board, uh, but everybody in attendance about uh your role with Flock, uh what Flock is, what Flock isn't, uh, and you know, the things that you guys have put in place as a company uh to have guardrails uh for this software.

Speaker 6

3:24

Sure, thanks.

3:24

And I'd be happy to do that, Chief.

3:26

Thank you again for inviting me.

3:27

And again, apologize for not being there.

3:29

Uh my name is Phil Arl.

3:30

I'm a public uh affairs manager for Flock Safety.

3:33

I'm new to that role.

3:35

I spent 40 years in law enforcement and 20 years as chief of police before retiring.

3:39

I retired on Friday, July 17th.

3:42

I took the weekend off and came to work for Flock as a public affairs manager.

3:46

I did that because I saw all of the negative press about Flock.

3:50

A lot of misinformation that's going on uh through the internet and other sites about what Flock does and what it doesn't do.

3:57

So Flock is an ALPR company, automatic license type reader company.

4:02

Um PR is not new technology.

4:05

It's been around in law enforcement for over 30 years now.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Public Safety██████████████████████████████████████38%

Procedural█████████████████17%

Technology and Innovation█████████████13%

Procurement████████████12%

Public Works████████8%

Public Engagement██████6%

Transportation Safety██████6%

Summary of Proceedings

Evansville Board of Public Safety Meeting - November 4, 2026

The Evansville Board of Public Safety held its 21st scheduled meeting of the year on November 4, 2026, at 1:00 PM (agenda time; provided date/time: 2026-11-04 19:00:00+00:00). The meeting featured a public information session on the Flock automated license plate reader (ALPR) camera system, public comments, and routine approvals including road closures, dumpster permits, and other consent items. The board tabled the vote on the Flock 2026–2027 contract pending receipt of the finalized contract approval form (CAF).

Consent Calendar

Dumpster Permit: Approved for 406 SE 1st Street (Environmental Cleaning Solutions, LLC) from November 2 through November 13 for removing wood siding. (Ratification of consensus vote.)
Road Closures and Lane Restrictions:
- 704 N 1st Ave lane restriction for bird exclusion work (Swat Pest Management, November 24–25). Approved.
- Main Street from NW 9th St to E Sycamore and eastbound lane of E Sycamore from Main St to S. Elsas Ave for Feed Evansville food giveaway (November 25, 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM). Approved.
- 120 S. Red Bank Road lane restriction for storm structure installation (Russell’s Excavating, November 6–20). Approved.
- Ohio Street closure from Ray Becker PKWY to Mead Johnson employee west gate entrance for exterior flashing work (November 14 and 21, 6:00 AM – 6:00 PM). Approved.
Dumpster in Street: 1501 Adams Ave (placed on Brookside Drive) from October 29 through November 30 for remodeling debris. Approved.
Secondhand Merchant License: Kaijo Trade & Co., Juliana Wandell, 507 N Greenriver Road. Approved.
Precious Metal Dealer Permit: Premier Gold & Coin, David Charles Arendt, December 15–19 at Hilton Garden Inn. Approved.
Removal of Handicap Parking Space: 517 E Delaware, requested by new property owner Andrew Effinger. Approved.
Approval of Claims: Approved.
Approval of Minutes from October 28, 2026: Approved.
Special Event Permit (Gobbler Gatherer): Evansville Rescue Mission approved for eastbound lane closure on Locust Street and 9th Street between Locust and Walnut Streets, November 23–24, 5:00 AM – 11:00 PM, pending receipt of valid certificate of insurance.

Public Comments & Testimony

Philip Alpers (232 Nita Day’s alias): Expressed concerns about Flock cameras, including undisclosed Condor cameras with 32x zoom and live video, audits not addressing national-level side-door loopholes, burst-style image capture (10 frames per second), indefinite retention of case-file PDFs, and questioned why warrants were not used instead of warrantless surveillance. Called for a middle-ground approach.
Christopher Norwich (2728 Harmony Way): Criticized that the public information session was not announced in advance (agenda published only a few hours prior). Questioned whether competitive bidding procedures were followed for the Flock contract (amount over $50,000) and submitted verbal public information requests for documents related to the 2026 and 2027 Flock safety contracts and the ClearView contract renewal. Raised concerns about Flock’s business model not being allowed under European privacy standards, lack of third-party security audits, documented hacks, and over 100 documented abuses nationally (including 7 in Indiana, some with access to Evansville data via data-sharing). Stated that AI-based license plate misidentification has led to wrongful arrests.
Brenda Latham (430 S. Kelsey Avenue): Requested a flashing warning light at the intersection of Walnut Street and South Alvard Boulevard for students crossing to Harper Elementary. Noted lack of crossing guards and drivers not stopping. Her husband was killed in a cycling accident four years ago. The board made a motion directing staff to contact traffic engineering to investigate the intersection for safety improvements, which was unanimously approved.

Discussion Items

Public Information Session on Flock ALPR System:
- Chief Smith (Evansville Police Department) opened the session, stating the current Flock contract expires in about two weeks. He proposed moving from three-year to one-year contracts to allow annual community re-evaluation. Emphasized no misuse of Flock in Evansville, transparency portal on the website, and internal audits every 45 days. Cited that Flock helped achieve murder clearance rates in the 90th percentile and assisted in recovering a kidnapped child within 20 minutes, locating a silver alert, and identifying suspects in a recent homicide using shared data with Kentucky.
- Phil Arnold (Flock Safety Public Affairs Manager, former police chief) described Flock as an ALPR company; cameras only photograph the back of vehicles and license plates (no facial recognition). Data is owned by the agency; retention at EPD is 30 days (up to 90 days if investigation-related with a case number, saved as PDF indefinitely). Discussed guardrails: internal/external audits, automatic pattern detection for misuse, and a new auto-shutoff tool (starting January 2027) that locks out officers if misuse alerts go unanswered. Claimed Flock is the only ALPR company with such safeguards. Mentioned a third-party security audit by Bishop Fox and a bug bounty program.
- Capt. Patrick McDonald (oversees criminal investigations) clarified that Evansville uses Falcon and Falcon Flex cameras (still photo, not video) and does not have Condor (facial recognition, weapon detection) or Raven (live pan-tilt-zoom) cameras. Explained that Flock is used as lead information only; all plates are human-verified before enforcement. Stated that a recent federal case in another district ruling evidence inadmissible is not binding locally. Reiterated that no misuse has occurred in Evansville.
Old Business:
- Ratification of dumpster permit at 406 SE 1st Street (approved under consent).
Departmental Reports:
- Police Department: Request for approval of Flock 2026–2027 contract was tabled (motion carried) until the next meeting on November 18, 2026, pending receipt of the finalized CAF.
- Special Event Permit (Sgt. Winsett absent): Annual Gobbler Gatherer event approved as noted in consent calendar.
Other Business:
- Fire Department vehicle purchase: Battalion Chief Nick Raver reported that a 2026 Ford F-350 single cab dually was found for $45,604 after sealed bids for a truck to pull the boat received no responses. The purchase had been approved at the previous meeting; the board confirmed the approval is sufficient, and no further vote was needed.
- Consumables pricing: Dr. Nay Streeter (purchasing) explained that a request for quotes for fire department consumables (under $50,000 for two months) resulted in a pricing sheet from Boundary. The board approved the pricing agreement (not a contract), with the understanding a formal bid will be issued for future needs.
- Change order for E1 heavy rescue apparatus: The September 15, 2026 change order reflecting a revised contract price of $1,096,326 was previously approved subject to CAF approval. The CAF having been submitted and approved, the board formally approved the agreement.

Key Outcomes

Flock 2026–2027 Contract: Tabled until the November 18, 2026 meeting (next scheduled meeting) to allow receipt of the finalized CAF. No vote taken.
School Crossing Safety: Board unanimously approved a motion directing staff to contact traffic engineering to investigate installing a flashing warning light at Walnut Street and South Alvard Boulevard for students crossing to Harper Elementary.
Road Closures/Dumpsters/Dealers: All consent items (listed above) approved unanimously during the consent section and subsequent votes.
Claims and Minutes: Approved.
Next Meeting: Wednesday, November 18, 2026, 1:00 PM, Civic Center Room 301.
Adjournment: Meeting adjourned.

Meeting Transcript

So we've we've been we've crossed past professionally. You know what I mean? Okay, welcome everyone to the uh City of Evansville Board of Public Safety Meeting. It is our 21st scheduled meeting uh of the year. Before we get started, let's go ahead and stand for the uh Pledge of Allegiance I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for what you stand and visible with liberty and justice draw. Okay, as we get started with the agenda, we're gonna start out with some public uh information session, and we'd like to welcome Chief Smith to our meeting and come on up and have some discussion about the uh Flock camera situation. Absolutely. Thank you uh for having me. Now we are um I think about a couple weeks out until the expiration of uh this current contract that we have with Flock. I believe they come in three-year increments. Um thing that we want to be very clear that we've heard uh the voices of some of the people in the public that are against this. There are several people that are for this. Um I I think it'll be a good faith effort. Um we've got the funding from council to continue the with this effort. Uh obviously you guys approve uh contracts or not, but I think it would be a good faith effort if we do one-year contracts moving forward uh so that we can re-evaluate in partnership with the community each year instead of just having a blanketed uh three-year, five-year contract. I I think that's a good faith effort by the Evansville Police Department. Again, we've never had any misuse. Um I'll remind this this body that uh when I first became chief, a different system. Uh we had an officer misuse that system, and the first thing that I did was try to get that officer removed from the Evansville Police Department. I don't play about that, our staff doesn't play about that. Uh Captain McDonald, who's here with me, is over our Flock uh as far as our investigative purposes of it. He can answer a lot of questions that I may struggle to answer because he has so much uh use of this uh together in partnership with Captain McDonald, we make sure that we have guardrails. Uh we have a transparency portal that anybody can visit our website and see. And I think online we have uh Mr. Arnold, uh Phil Arnold with Flock Safety, who could give some insight as to what this is, not only for you guys, but for the audience members to tell us what Flock is and isn't. So I don't know if he can hear me. Can you hear me, Phil? I absolutely can hear you, Chief. Thank you very much. Yes, and so I apologize for not being there in person. No, that's okay. We understand uh Phil's uh out of town had some hardship and uh and our thoughts are with you for your family situation as well, Phil. Um but Phil, I thought it would be a good opportunity. I thought I thought it would be a good opportunity, Phil, for you to educate not only this board, uh, but everybody in attendance about uh your role with Flock, uh what Flock is, what Flock isn't, uh, and you know, the things that you guys have put in place as a company uh to have guardrails uh for this software. Sure, thanks. And I'd be happy to do that, Chief. Thank you again for inviting me. And again, apologize for not being there. Uh my name is Phil Arl.

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