Cancel the Flock Contract and Remove Hopatcong's ALPR Cameras

Since 2023, the Borough of Hopatcong has paid Flock Group Inc. $37,400 to operate four automated license plate reader (ALPR) cameras on public roads, a recurring obligation now renewed through 2027. In records obtained through a public records request, no Borough Council resolution, ordinance, agenda, or meeting minutes authorizing this program have been produced, despite Hopatcong's own governing ordinance stating that the Mayor and Council hold final authority over matters affecting the Police Department. No ordinance delegating contracting authority to the Chief of Police for an agreement of this size and duration has been produced either. No press release, public notice, FAQ, or community presentation informing residents this program existed has been produced.

The cameras captured over 3,185,635 vehicle reads in 2026 alone, through July 9, all searchable through New Jersey's statewide ALPR network under a standard of "unfettered access" among state, county, and local law enforcement agencies. Residents' everyday movements on public roads are being recorded, shared with a private company, and made accessible to law enforcement agencies across the state, without residents ever having been asked.

We, the undersigned residents and taxpayers of Hopatcong, call on the Mayor and Borough Council to:

1. Cancel the Borough's contract with Flock Group Inc. and remove the four ALPR cameras from Hopatcong roads.
2. Hold a public accounting of who authorized this program, how it was funded, and why residents were never informed, before any future surveillance contract is considered.
3. Adopt a policy requiring any future ALPR or surveillance technology contract to go through a public Council vote, with advance public notice, before it is signed.

Note, for transparency: the Flock contract includes a $500-per-camera fee for early cancellation, which the Borough would owe under this request.

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Source: Borough of Hopatcong OPRA response, July 2026.