Mayor Mike Bordes: The community deserves facts, not rumors, about cameras

To The Daily Sun,

Last week was a sad and difficult week for Laconia. We said goodbye to Rep. Charlie St. Clair, a man whose decades of service shaped this community. We also held the remembrance of the 25th anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks, a day that took nearly 3,000 lives and continues to impact families and first responders every single day.

Monday, at the very next city council meeting, the council approved an $86,500 Homeland Security grant for pole mounted cameras. What should have been a straightforward public safety decision has since been overwhelmed by misinformation.

The cameras approved are not Flock safety cameras. They do not use Flock’s software, network, or data sharing system. They cannot scan license plates, identify people, or run analytics. These are standard municipal safety cameras used nationwide for traffic flow, incident documentation, and situational awareness. We have used similar in Laconia for over 25 years.

They lack the hardware and software required for license plate recognition. They cannot read or process plates. Footage is stored locally under city control, not transmitted to outside agencies or private companies. They do not run facial recognition, vehicle fingerprinting, movement tracking, or any advanced surveillance features. The manufacturer and technology are entirely different from Flock’s system and not compatible with it.

Their purpose is narrow to assist police during incidents, improve response times, and provide documentation when something actually happens. They are not designed to monitor residents or track anyone’s movements.

The claim that these cameras are “Flock by another name” is simply false. They do not meet a single technical criterion of a Flock safety device.

In a week when Laconia mourned a respected public servant and honored the memory of thousands lost on 9/11, our community deserves facts not rumor driven fear.

Mayor Mike Bordes

Laconia