In a 4-1 vote the Irmo Town Council added 22 FLOCK cameras to their already existing 11 cameras amid protests from some town citizens. Many of those who spoke during the Presentation by Citizens portion of the meeting were not from the Town of Irmo including the chairman of the Lexington County Libertarian Party. The majority of speakers cited cases of abuse by law enforcement from around the country or privacy invasion involving the cameras.
“I don’t trust Chief Bobby Dale or any of the officers to utilize this system the way its supposed to be utilized,” said Tony Gradel. “If you give the government a tool they will misuse it. Get rid of them or we will get rid of them for you.” Gradel was later removed from the council meeting for an outburst he made during a presentation by Police Chief Bobby Dale.
The license plate reading cameras take a picture of the back of vehicles as they pass through intersections. Comments being made were concerns of privacy violations and overreach of government in people’s daily lives. Irmo Police Chief Bobby Dale stated that the cameras have no other function than what they are intended for. “They can’t record conversations, they don’t identify drivers, they can’t recognize faces, they don’t monitor speed and they don’t watch people,” said Dale. “They photograph license plates that are already visible to anyone traveling on that roadway.”
Dale stated that, “By eliminating the gaps that exist in our current coverage we can shorten our response times and better serve the community, Criminals have known where the cameras are and how to circumvent them.”
The town installed 11 cameras four years ago and the results have been positive. “These cameras are one of the best investigative tools law enforcement can have,” said Dale. “These cameras have helped us solve crimes faster and identify suspects that we might not have been able to identify.”
Dale stated that they are proactive and stringent in their oversight of the system and that FLOCK has tools in place that would flag any discrepancies in use. “Any misuse would be investigated and addressed appropriately,” said Dale.
One resident from Beacon Hill told council, “We begged for cameras to be installed. We were sleeping on pillows on the floor because of all the gunshots ringing out in our neighborhood on a nightly basis.” She went on to thank the council and law enforcement. “They have protected me and it’s protected my community.”
Town Attorney Will Edwards informed council that claims of a Supreme Court ruling on constitutionality were unfounded. Instead, a case was decided by a trial court in Virginia where it was ruled in favor of the city and that the cameras did not violate 4th amendment rights.
The mayor asked the Town Administrator Jim Crossland where the funding would be coming from for the cameras. “We have several funding sources including hospitality tax, accommodations tax and general funds,” said Crossland.
Councilman Penfield stated he was surprised when he learned there were eleven cameras already in use and that he struggled to understand the amount of cameras to be added. “I want you to know chief that I support you and your team….there has been difficulties in the police department that I have tried to overlook….At this time I want to support you with everything that I can but there is a line that I struggle to cross,” said Penfield. Penfield didn’t elaborate on the difficulties in the police department.
Penfield was the focus of an investigation by the Irmo Police Department involving possible Criminal Sexual Conduct. Earlier this year the investigation went to SLED and the SC Attorney General’s office where it was determined there was no new evidence and no charges were made.
