Salem's Flock Camera Exit Gains New Context After Regional Suspensions

SALEM — Salem's decision to drop its Flock Safety license-plate camera contract took on fresh weight this week after Patch reported that two North Shore police officers were suspended over suspected misuse of the same surveillance technology. The city is also recruiting residents for a newly created Taxpayer Relief Committee and continuing summer and fall infrastructure work across town.

TOWN HALL

The City of Salem confirmed it will not renew the Salem Police Department's contract with Flock Safety and is removing the automatic license plate readers currently installed around the city, according to a city announcement. The move comes as scrutiny of Flock's license-plate surveillance network intensifies across the North Shore, with Lynn police among the departments now facing questions about how the cameras are used.

Separately, the city is seeking three residents to serve on its newly formed Taxpayer Relief Committee, which will oversee the Taxpayer Aid Fund established under state law. Officials are also continuing a slate of roadway, water and drainage improvement projects planned throughout the summer and into the fall, part of an ongoing infrastructure push across several Salem neighborhoods. The city is separately taking nominations for the Sam Zoll Civic Leadership Award, honoring a resident whose volunteering or civic engagement has strengthened the community.

COMMUNITY & ARTS

Salem Public Library Director Tara Mansfield and Mayor Dominick Pangallo were set to welcome the public to Charlotte Forten Park Thursday evening for public readings by the finalists vying to become the city's next poet laureate. The 6 p.m. event at 289 Derby Street gave residents a chance to hear directly from the contenders before a selection is made.

ELSEWHERE IN THE NEWS

"2 North Shore Police Officers Suspended After Suspected Flock Abuse": Patch reports that Lynn police are the latest North Shore department to face concerns over how officers have used Flock license-plate surveillance systems, a controversy that lands just as Salem moves to end its own Flock contract (read it at https://patch.com/massachusetts/salem/2-north-shore-police-officers-suspended-after-suspected-flock-abuse).

Compiled from official town feeds, community organizations, and local press. Outside reporting is attributed inline.