HANSON — September 15, 2026 — Hanson’s three automatic license plate readers stay switched on, because the Select Board declined to take a vote with two of its five members away. The police chief told the board he is on the record in favor of the cameras — and that if the town does not want them, he works for the town. The board asked for the contract’s exit clause and a written access policy first.
The Full Story
A public forum the week before drew roughly 50 people. Chair Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett said the objections crossed every political line and almost none were about the Police Department. Chief Michael Casey described the cameras as an investigatory tool and nothing else — a thirtieth-of-a-second photograph of a car and a plate, after which ordinary police work still has to happen. He said he is “all for the flock cameras” and has had no complaint since the forum. Then he said that if the majority of the town does not want them, “well then I’m here for them.”
The unanswered questions are about the vendor, not the department. Residents asked what data is captured, who holds it, how long it is kept and who else can reach it. Chief Casey said some of those questions were above him and he told people he would find out. The company assures him the data sits in a compliant system, and that is what he has to go on.
“I want to go on record here, I’m not against the flock cameras at all.” — Vice Chair Ann Rein
Rein said her concern sits above the police entirely: once data leaves, the guardrails belong to someone else.
“I’m in a little bit of a moral conundrum of myself because on a personal side I’m not a fan of Flock cameras, but as a select board member it’s also our responsibility to make the best decisions for the town people and keep everybody safe.” — Frank Milisi
Member Frank Milisi has a background in IT. He said the vendor’s third-party audits are published, that he is not especially worried about the data handling, and that he would defer to the chief on whether the tool keeps residents safe. He asked to see the department’s policies first, and to be told if they change.
FitzGerald-Kemmett closed the discussion without a vote and set two conditions before one happens: town counsel reviews the contract, and the department produces its internal rules on who may query the system and what happens when someone violates them.
“I’d really like to make sure that our legal counsel has taken a look at that contract and see whether there’s an off-ramp and what that off-ramp looks like.” — Chair Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett
The chief said he has not heard of any nearby town facing an obstacle to getting out of its contract. He also said his door stays open, and asked residents who learned the cameras exist only from this meeting to email him.
