East Bridgewater, MA Flock Contract

Who approved this?

No source names who approved this contract yet. Contracts that arrive through procurement or a purchasing threshold often leave no vote to record.

East Bridgewater Police Chief Michael Jenkins, working with Deputy Chief Michael McLaughlin and the Select Board, ended the town's Flock Safety contract before the system was running. The Boston Globe reported on August 22, 2026 that 1 camera had been installed and quoted Jenkins on concerns about privacy, data access, oversight, safeguards and the potential for misuse. South Shore News reported on August 15, 2026 that the contract was signed on July 1, 2026, ran 3 years and cost about $38,000, made up of $3,000 per camera each year for 4 solar powered cameras plus a $2,000 installation and insurance fee. The money came from federal drug asset forfeiture funds, which required no local appropriation and no Town Meeting vote. Under the draft policy, unflagged data was purged after 30 days and the department would audit only 10 searches once a year covering a 6 month period, which residents called inadequate at the August 10, 2026 Select Board meeting. Select Board members Carole Julius, Peter Spagone and Katherine Mullen had given the department a budgetary green light in June 2026, but no source records a formal vote tally, so no roll call is given.