In our beloved city of Sanford, Maine, our community is facing a grave threat to our privacy and security. The City Council has unveiled plans to install Flock security cameras throughout our neighborhoods. These cameras and their data are not owned by the public or even our local government, but by private data brokers. These brokers charge our city a fee for access to the data they collect. This alarming development not only poses significant privacy concerns but also threatens the very essence of community policing and our civil liberties.

Relying on a private company to handle our city's security undermines the principles enshrined in the US Constitution. Traditional community policing depends on building trust and strong relationships between law enforcement and residents, not surveillance managed by private entities. Handing over control of our public safety to a third-party corporation leads us down a slippery slope towards a dystopian future where privacy is no longer a right but a privilege dictated by corporate interests.

The installation of these cameras could mark the end of community-friendly policing, replacing it with a system where our every move is monitored and recorded. It sets a dangerous precedent by prioritizing commercial objectives over our basic civil liberties and community trust.

We must take a stand now to protect our community's integrity, privacy, and democratic principles. We urge the Sanford City Council not only to abandon their plans to install Flock cameras but to go further by passing legislation to ban these intrusive surveillance devices altogether.

Join us in our fight to maintain Sanford, Maine as a safe, secure, and free community for all. Sign this petition to tell the City Council to protect our privacy and uphold the values that make Sanford a great place to live.