The latest news from Natick, Mass.:
Natick Select Board quashes Flock license plate reader pilot; Police chief apologizes & explains
After being blindsided by a Natick Police pilot of Flock Safety license plate reader technology, the Select Board this past week voted unanimously to end the trial and have the town set up a working group to explore the topic going forward.
For its part, Wellesley has one stationary Flock camera at the intersection of Rtes. 9 and 16. The rest of Wellesley’s cameras are from Motorola and are used on vehicles.
According to Wellesley Police Chief Scott Whittemore, the department has used LPRs (License Plate Readers) since 2014. Commercial and educational institutions in town also use this technology, he says.
LPRs have contributed to Wellesley Police cracking cases, including burglaries and mail thefts.
What ELSE the Natick Police Department is up to
Natick Police Chief James Hicks spoke of hiring challenges, possible adoption of drones, and more during his briefing with the Select Board.
Friends of Morse Institute Library beat the snow for successful book & bake sale
Did the Flock “Safety” license plate reader technology include AI acoustic/ audio sensors capable of picking up human voices?
According to Leo Hohmann’s online newsletter titled Shh…Your city is recording your conversations: Flock’s new AI-powered audio sensors quietly installed in thousands of communities nationwide;
“Flock Safety, a private surveillance company based in Atlanta, deploys its Automated License-Plate Readers as part of a public-private partnership in upwards of 6,000 communities nationwide. With little to no
coverage in the mainstream media, Flock’s cameras were “upgraded” in October 2025 with AI-powered Raven Acoustic Sensors capable of picking up human voices.”
The Natick Flock pilot may have be nixed but there are lots of questions to be answered. Were Raven Acoustic Sensors used and if so were the recordings retained? Worth asking and worth knowing.