BY JEFF CHUDZINSKINorth Country This Week

MASSENA -- A Massena resident has raised further concerns about the village's decision to use Flock security cameras. 

Village resident Marty Fowler submitted a letter to the village prior to the Sept. 15 regular board meeting, saying he was a veteran who served the nation to uphold American freedoms. 

In his letter, Fowler said he, like many residents, "do not want to be passively tracked, monitored or logged by community funded networks." 

"If the village leadership maintains that continuous surveillance is necessary for public safety and accountability, then that standard must apply equally to the government itself," Fowler wrote to the board. 

He said residents were "not going to take this lying down," in reference to the installation of 13 Flock cameras throughout the village. 

Fowler said he and other residents would track and monitor the installation of cameras, reporting them to sources like DeFlock, a popular website that tracks the use of numerous surveillance systems throughout the nation, including Flock and Motorola systems. 

"If you choose to monitor us, your hardware will be fully exposed to the public," he said. 

Fowler called for a "straightforward proposal," saying he felt it would be appropriate to also monitor the government much the same way citizens are monitored with the Flock system. 

"If the government monitors them during their daily lives, then the public must be granted the same ability to watch you while you perform your public jobs," he wrote. 

Fowler called for "reciprocal transparency" in his letter, noting he felt it was appropriate to include cameras to monitor the police station 24/7, along with administrative spaces, as well as the Mayor's office. 

"If the government has nothing to hide from citizens, it should have no objection to being watched exactly like it's watching us," he wrote. 

The letter drew a pointed response from Mayor Greg Paquin who took time to clarify the types of cameras in use by the village. 

Though Flock has drawn significant scrutiny in recent months for numerous failures with its artificial intelligence and license plate reader systems, Paquin said those functions are not in use in the village of Massena. 

Instead, the village opted for an agreement that provides surveillance systems that offer a live view with high resolution cameras that can be remotely controlled by police to move 360 degrees. 

The cameras can be monitored on numerous electronic devices, including computers in the police station, as well in cruisers, on tablets and with cell phones. 

Chief of Police Cody Wilson said the cameras would allow officers to more quickly and safely respond to a situation if they are able to get eyes on the scene prior to responding. 

"It would allow for an appropriate response and would ensure we send the right resources to a given scene," he said earlier this year. 

Paquin said the cameras are only to be used for criminal investigations and nothing further. 

In the event another agency requires assistance, he said the police department would be asked for permission to view footage. 

Paquin clarified that the footage would be released in the event of active, ongoing investigations but nothing more. 

"This is nothing new. We are not part of that. I know there was a concern about other agencies using it," he said. 

"If a police officer comes from Canton and came to us and said 'Hey we really don't like this guy. Can you see what he's up to?' No, we're not going to do that. That's not how this works," he said. 

Paquin noted the system installed in the village does not have license plate reading systems, not facial recognition software or an automated ticketing system. 

He also said the cameras are not monitored 24/7 by the police officers.

Wilson said the cameras are installed as a matter of "public safety and officer safety."

Signs will also be installed in the near future to mark the cameras for the public, though Paquin said they "are not hard to find at all." 

Signs will be "well lit, placed appropriately and without obstruction to ensure visibility," he said. 

In the works as well is a transparency portal, which will provide all information regarding the functions of the cameras, as well as statistics about the information gathered, along with policies and procedures that will govern the use of the cameras and footage obtained by the system. 

Wilson said that portal is in the works and will be posted on the Police Department's website and social media platforms in the near future.