Советники призывали к установке системы Flock для борьбы с наркоторговлей и повышения безопасности в Хантингтоне

When my wife and I retired from our professions in Richmond, Virginia, 12 years ago, we made the decision to return to Huntington. Both of us were born and schooled here and are graduates of Marshall University. Upon returning, we were appalled to find the reputation of our hometown in steep decline, primarily due to drug addiction and the crime that goes hand in hand with the drug trade. Pipelines for the transportation of deadly, addictive drugs existed from Detroit, Memphis and various Ohio cities, and those dealers operated here with impunity and a growing market of users. Other factors such as obesity, a declining population, high rates of poverty and a crumbling infrastructure existed as well. But nothing matched the devastating impact of drug sales to an ever-expanding population of addicted users and the resulting crime that ranged from petty theft to murder. The good news is we are witnessing a turnaround that began under the leadership of Mayor Steve Williams and continues with Mayor Patrick Farrell (one a Democrat and the other a Republican) and a city council with the courage to make tough decisions. Their efforts to mitigate the ravages of the drug trade and provide the stimulus of economic revival stemming from the combined efforts of city leadership and Marshall University, under the leadership of President Brad D. Smith, are making a difference. I am hopeful that our resurgence will become a shining example of what can be achieved when leadership has a vision of something better and is committed to its success. But we still have work to do. Technology is making a difference in our schools, healthcare and economic development. And now technology can have an impact on the scourge of drug trafficking and crime. The ability to identify and locate criminals via systems like Flock Safety can be a game changer and an incredible resource for our law enforcement agencies. By creating legal safeguards that work to protect against invasion of privacy and still be effective in interrupting the transportation and sales of illegal drugs and firearms, this system can be one of the most powerful tools we have. The decision to install any kind of surveillance system here must take into account the conditions that prevail in Huntington, the metro region and the state of West Virginia, which include but are not limited to: Huntington has been described as an epicenter of the American opioid crisis and historically recorded some of the highest per capita rates of opioid overdoses and injection drug use in the nation. West Virginia leads the nation in drug-related deaths. Areas in Kentucky and West Virginia, including Cabell County, also consistently rank near the peak per capita for localized drug fatalities. Law enforcement officials report that drug transporters primarily use private and commercial vehicles and passenger trains to transport illicit drugs into and through West Virginia. Flock has been requested by the city police department and supported by the administration to enhance the ability to identify, track and apprehend drug traffickers, illegal users and other criminals involved in drug-related felonies and other violent crimes. That alone should be justification enough to implement this program. Proposed guardrails that are adequate to mitigate unauthorized, inappropriate use of the system are critical to its success. Serious penalties should be codified that not only punish abusers of the system but those that would destroy the equipment once installed. It’s almost inconceivable that potential abuse of the system and the effort required to bypass the guardrails would justify abandoning the installation and use of the system. While there is some vocal opposition to installing the Flock system, no one on council or in other leadership roles should make the unqualified statement that “the people” of Huntington or even the majority of one’s council district are against it. The voting-age population of Huntington is in excess of 35,000 people, so it is simply unknowable how the majority feel about this issue. As noted in a recent article in The Atlantic, “Flock cameras are an easy target for a populist backlash. But although some of the concerns are reasonable, a panic about a ‘slave state’ shouldn’t determine public policy. Intelligently regulated, ALPRs can be one among many tools in the toolbox of smarter — and therefore less severe — police forces. Dumping the cameras would just be foolish.” City council should support this system, which has real potential to improve safety and quality of life in our city. Should it prove ineffective after a reasonable period, it can be discontinued but the potential upside far outweighs that limited risk. Our city’s economic turnaround is underway but remains fragile. Adopting technology like Flock is critical to shedding our city’s old reputation and giving businesses and their employees the confidence to invest here. Our citizens, children, schools, and businesses deserve a safer environment in which to live, work and play. Give our city the tools it needs to make that happen.