POUGHKEEPSIE – Following an announcement by Dutchess County DA Anthony Parisi and Sheriff Kirk Imperati that they will , the Dutchess County Legislature Democratic majority announced plans to vote on a resolution to terminate the use of the cameras in Dutchess County. The decision has frustrated Poughkeepsie Mayor Yvonne Flowers.
Currently, as part of a joint effort between the sheriff’s office and the district attorney, known as the incidents in other parts of the country where law enforcement officers allegedly misused such data and called for an end to the use of LPRs in the county. No evidence of misuse has been identified in Dutchess County.
The LPRs are an integral component of ARCTIC and have been used to solve several homicides and other violent crimes in the county.
Flowers is not pleased with the latest announcement, after City . The two did not mention it at a council meeting; instead, they made their intentions known at the September meeting of the county legislature. The mayor is already seeking alternatives, telling Mid-Hudson News, “Flock cameras have played an important role in helping solve homicides and other serious crimes in our community. The safety of our residents is our top priority. If it is decided to take away this critical tool from local law enforcement, we need to have discussions about what will replace it.”
On Friday, Serino said, “My goal has always been to support our local law enforcement with the tools they recommend to protect our community. If the District Attorney and the Sheriff no longer believe that Flock Safety technology is a tool that they need, I stand by them in that decision. As the Sheriff and the District Attorney begin the process of rescinding the Flock contracts and dismantling the network, I commend them for being responsive to community concerns and being willing to change course.”
Serino does perceive a silver lining within the announcement, adding, “As we continue to face a difficult budget ahead for 2027, we will be able to divert the approximate $500,000 in Flock contract costs that are currently in the District Attorney’s 2027 budget submission and utilize those dollars to help protect many other critical programs and services that our neighbors depend on, including EMS services, veterans, seniors and youth programming.”
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