Monongalia County Commission Faces Privacy Concerns Over New Surveillance Technology

The Monongalia County Commission faced questions about their use of opioid settlement funds for license plate readers at its meeting on Dec. 10. 

Commissioners approved $60,000 of opioid settlement funds for 20 license plate reader cameras (LPRs) from Flock Safety as part of a 3-year contract. 

The Flock Safety Camera systems read vehicle color, make, model, and other identifying features like dents and bumper stickers. 

The default setup shares data collected locally with law enforcement nationwide and some of these images are also retained by the company to train its own artificial intelligence. They are intended to help law enforcement identify stolen vehicles and track criminal activity.

License plate reader cameras have made appearances across the country in recent years. Law enforcement in many major cities like Chicago and Arlington, Va. have already deployed over 700 Flock cameras. That number does not include cameras with similar abilities from different vendors, like Leonardo US Cyber and Security Solutions or Ubiquiti. 

Some Morgantown residents, like Tanner Esker, say this is a breach of privacy. 

“I’m not against security cameras, but I am against being analyzed before guilt or suspicion,” Esker said. 

Commissioner Tom Bloom says the program will be monitored closely as it rolls out. 

“It’s a program that nationwide has positives and negatives,” Bloom said.  “We are very careful how it’s going to be used, and I was very concerned about the overreach. That was, I think, the biggest discussion we had.”

A placement timeline will likely be announced after Jan. 1, 2026.