Springfield mayor explains decision to send Flock camera review to committee amid pushback

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) - A Springfield City Council meeting Monday night grew tense after Mayor Jeff Schrag moved to send a councilman’s proposed review of Flock license plate cameras to committee instead of holding a public hearing.

Councilman Brandon Jenson wrote the resolution. He said he gave city staff the draft on Aug. 11, giving the full council nearly two weeks to review it. Jenson said he learned three to four hours before Monday’s meeting that Schrag wanted the resolution sent to committee.

Public hearing never held

The public hearing never started. Schrag’s motion sent Jenson’s Flock review to the Plans and Policies Committee on a 5-3 vote. The room reacted to the vote, forcing the council into recess.

Asked whether committees are where bills go to die, Jenson said that concern is based on what he has already seen.

“I think that is an accurate representation, generally, of how committees can work, since I’ve had a couple of bills that have sat in committee for a year or more without any meaningful action,” Jenson said.

Mayor cites need for defined scope

Schrag said committee review could expand the questions beyond what Jenson’s original resolution listed.

“So that was one of the things that I was hoping would come from a process, is a broader process that takes into consideration things that weren’t listed on there,” Schrag said.

Schrag said the committee must first define the scope of the review before a public hearing can be meaningful.

“Because again, those things work best when there’s a defined box that people can say something about. And there was not a defined box for people to say things about. It was about, should we do more research?” Schrag said.

Resident raises privacy concerns

Springfield resident Raylea Crockett said the process and the technology raise the same question: how much say the public gets.

“We deserve to have this information public. It’s our right. We deserve to have a say in what goes on in this city, especially when it comes down to our privacy and surveillance in this town,” Crockett said.

What the resolution does

The resolution would not remove or pause a single camera. It asks city staff to review the city’s contract, police guidelines and related policies.

Jenson said Flock cameras may be a helpful police tool and their public benefit could outweigh the cost. He said one major question remains unanswered.

“But we don’t have any data relative to our community to be able to answer that question to the level of detail that council and the public need to know,” Jenson said.

What happens now

The Plans and Policies Committee is chaired by Councilman Abe McGull, who controls when the resolution is placed on its calendar. The committee can take public comment, but no date has been set.

Jenson said he has not yet decided how he will push to keep the review moving. If the resolution returns to the full council, a public hearing would then be held.

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