Group Moves To Ban Surveillance Cameras In Huntington, Council Gets Proposed Ordinance

Flock surveillance cameras have been in the news a lot lately. A group in Huntington is gathering Wednesday to put a ballot initiative together to ban them in the city. 

At a July 13 meeting that stretched into the early morning hours of July 14, the Huntington City Council approved a contract with Flock Group to install cameras around the city. It was promoted by the mayor and the chief of police as a deterrent to crime.  

Later that week, the ACLU of West Virginia and a local citizen sued the city to stop the project.  

A group from the Huntington branch of the statewide Citizen Action Group plans a meeting Wednesday evening to begin collecting signatures for a ballot initiative called Get The Flock Out: Huntington. The proposal includes, but is not limited to, AI-powered cameras manufactured by Flock Safety. Information about the process and the proposed ordinance will be provided at the kick-off event. This process is based off the requirements in Article 12 of the Huntington Charter. 

Matt Lebo, the group’s organizer, said this initiative creates a new ordinance that bans mass surveillance systems. It will be up to the city council when they take it up, but he said it was unlikely to make it onto the 2026 General Election ballot. If approved, the ordinance would require the city to cancel the Flock contract.  

The group will meet at 6 p.m. in Room 134 in Harris Hall on Marshall’s campus.  

The city of Huntington also released a proposed ordinance that has been submitted to council to set rules and guidance around the camera systems. It is scheduled for discussion on the Aug. 10 committee meetings.