Jay Tilak Calls for Public Hearing on Flock Surveillance Cameras in Branchburg's Parks
Township Paid for License-Plate Cameras in Parks with No Public Discussion, Records Show
BRANCHBURG, NJ: Jay Tilak, Democratic candidate for Branchburg Township Committee, is calling for a public hearing on the surveillance cameras the Township has installed throughout its parks. Public records show the Township has paid Flock Safety, the surveillance camera company, more than $28,000 this year, one of at least three payments since 2024. Residents have identified Flock cameras in multiple public parking lots, including five at White Oak Park alone, but there's no record the Township Committee has ever discussed the program in public.
"Public parks are places where families go to have fun, where kids get together to play sports, and if our Township Committee is going to monitor Branchburg's families it should be discussed publicly and not buried in a routine list of bills," said Tilak. "I work in tech, and I am not against using connected technology to help keep our community safe. But I do think the public should have a say in where, when, and how Flock cameras are used."
A review of all Township Committee meeting agendas and minutes from June of 2023 to date includes no agenda items to discuss the placement of Flock surveillance cameras in Branchburg's public parks. The only mentions of Flock surveillance cameras are in bill lists in the consent agenda, which is passed without comment.
A public records request revealed there have been no permits issued for the camera installations, no notes from closed-door Executive Sessions at Township Committee meetings since August 2023, and no crime data or incident reports for any Branchburg park that would explain why cameras went up there. The same request turned up more than 750 internal emails and other documents about the program, but the Township says it won't start reviewing them unless it receives a $562.50 fee to review the tranche for "any confidential, privileged, or security-sensitive information."
Branchburg's elected and appointed leaders have been discussing using Flock cameras behind closed doors for years, but not once in a public meeting. Residents paid for these cameras, and they're entitled to see how that decision got made without having to shell out more money.
"There's a legitimate case for this technology in the right circumstances, in high-crime corridors, major trafficking routes, cities with real gun and car-theft problems," Tilak said. "But that's not Branchburg, which is one of the safest towns in the state, with violent crime rates a fraction of the national average."
In the past month, the states of Texas and Florida have moved to pull back on Flock cameras statewide, according to NPR, with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis saying he didn't want his state to become "a surveillance state." In August, Cherry Hill, NJ, voted to remove its 10 Flock surveillance cameras. In Los Angeles, an ABC7 investigation found the cameras wrongly flagged cars as stolen nearly one in three times, leading police to pull over and detain innocent drivers.
Tilak wants the Township Committee, together with Branchburg's Police Department, to hold a public meeting to explain their reasoning behind the camera locations, including what data was used to determine placements. He also wants the Township to disclose how many cameras exist and where, put its data-sharing policy in writing, and build in ongoing oversight: an independent resident review, a yearly public update, and a public vote to renew the program every year instead of letting it continue automatically. Any future surveillance technology should get that same kind of public vote.
"Let's hear the reasoning, publicly, from the people who made the call to install Flock cameras in Branchburg," Tilak said. "If the reasoning doesn't hold up, the town should take the cameras down and cancel the contract. If there is a real need for these surveillance cameras, then keep them but implement public oversight of the program."
