On Tuesday, Oct. 15, University Park’s Senior Vice President of Business Sara Thorndike announced that Penn State University Police & Public Safety (UPPS) will be choosing to not renew their contract with Flock, and will be removing the cameras from all campuses.

This decision comes as a pleasant surprise for many Behrend students, who have shared their frustrations with the controversial technology in the past. However, it seems the rationale behind the decision was strictly financial and not a result of backlash or careful consideration. After announcing the news, Thorndike stated that the decision came “after reviewing the system’s cost, return on investment and operational value.”

This reasoning has left a bittersweet impression on many, including Behrend’s SGA president Abby Napierski, who observed that “at first glance it seems that students are being heard. But looking further into it, it would seem it is much less of a win for Penn State students.” A notion that is emphasized by the University’s interest in simply replacing Flock with another system. Thorndike continued in her statement, saying that they “will continue to research and assess tools that may provide similar data for us.”

As Penn State continues researching other surveillance systems, much of the student body has wondered what they want this data for.  In an email sent to The Beacon, Kelly Shrout, Behrend’s Director of Student Affairs, stated that “For years UPPS has heard students, faculty and staff request more cameras on campus including parking lots.” Before citing a resolution passed to combat safety concerns by the 2024 Council of Commonwealth Student Governments (CCSG). The resolution recommended that Penn State “provides funding for Commonwealth Campuses to install security cameras in their parking lots” and that “the number of security cameras should depend on the number of lots…so that the entire parking lot is visible at all times.”

However, it is important to note that on Penn State Behrend’s campus, not a single Flock camera points remotely toward any parking lot, only the entrances and exits to campus. This, Shrout says, may be an attempt “to support the students’ request at a lower cost than each campus implementing multiple cameras in all parking lots.”

Screenshot of Penn State Behrend’s Flock cameras, courtesy of DeFlock.org

Although this may be an honest attempt to fulfill student wishes efficiently, the use of Flock is controversial. With instances of police misuse, technological issues, and widespread concern over privacy and protection, it may be in the university’s best interest to invest in equipment that can only be accessed by campus police, instead of Flock or any other similar alternatives. Additionally, this new system should be placed in locations recommended by the CCSG and wanted by the students.

Behrend’s SGA will soon have a meeting with UPPS’s Lieutenant Lesley Mitchell to discuss what our campus will look like regarding future systems. However, President Napierski has made it clear that “the concerns over privacy and protection will continue as Penn State continues to pilot security systems that violate students’ comfort and needs.” She urges “that students stay vigilant” and “pay attention to the concerns that [other] students continue to have” while UPPS irons out a new solution. Napierski finished her statement to The Beacon stating that “the uncertainty concerns me for the students. All we can do is wait, but I feel like I’m always waiting.”