As someone who lives and works right here in New Bedford, reading local news lately feels like watching a slow-motion car crash involving the institutions we’re supposed to trust. When the city shut off all of its Flock cameras back in August, people in our neighborhoods were already asking questions. Now we have our answers—and they aren’t pretty.
Mayor Jon Mitchell and Police Chief Jason Thody announced the terminations of Officer Emily Pacheco and Sgt. James Martinelli following an internal investigation by the Professional Standards Unit (PSU). The findings? Both officers were running a pattern of unauthorized lookups using Flock Safety’s automated license plate reader (ALPR) system, not to solve crimes or keep our streets safe, but to snoop on former romantic partners, current dating interests, and personal acquaintances.
For residents who walk these streets every day, this isn’t just about bad behavior by a couple of bad actors; it’s a massive failure of accountability. We’re the ones who pay taxes to fund department technology meant to protect the community. Knowing that powerful surveillance tools installed across our city can be hijacked so easily to stalk exes and fuel personal drama is deeply unsettling.
Chief Thody called it right when he noted that officers are entrusted with sensitive information for legitimate law enforcement purposes only. But for everyday folks in New Bedford, this feels less like a minor policy violation and more like a total breakdown of the social contract.
With city council members meeting to unpack the fallout and a wider audit still underway looking at how ALPR technology was handled from December 2024 through the end of last year, the city has a lot of rebuilding to do. If New Bedford ever wants to turn back on those license plate readers, it’s going to take a lot more than a slap on the wrist to convince us our privacy is actually being protected.
What are your thoughts on the city’s handling of the Flock camera investigation?
