Fort Wayne City Council unanimously decided to cancel its contract with Flock.
The contract for the automatic license plate readers expired earlier in the summer.
The Fort Wayne Police Department and the Allen County Prosecutor’s Office expressed their support for the cameras as law-enforcement tools.
But in Fort Wayne and around the country, support for the cameras has plummeted.
There have been reports of misuse, concerns about how the gathered information is shared with other agencies, and misuse of the technology by law enforcement in other communities.
Comments by the public in recent meetings have been largely negative about the cameras, and across the political spectrum.
Democratic Councilwoman Rohli Booker said that along with the surveillance, she was concerned that Flock increased the number of its cameras within city limits while the contract was pending.
Democratic Councilman Geoff Paddock had been a supporter of the cameras, wanting to help law enforcement solve crimes and catch criminals.
“While this is an important tool for catching criminals…we have heard from hundreds of individuals who have looked at this in a different way, as something sinister,” Paddock said.
“There is concern of oversurveillance of the good guys…Those things begin to gnaw on you because everyone wants to vote for safety.”
Republican Councilman Paul Ensley said he was concerned that the city had been allowing its citizens to be surveilled for years without a full understanding of it.
Councilman Russ Jehl said he hoped that local law enforcement saw this vote as a prohibition against the use of such technology.
After the meeting, FWPD said in a release that they respected the decision of the council.
State and federal lawmakers are weighing in, looking at potential legislation if necessary.
President Donald Trump has promised to have an opinion on the cameras in the coming weeks.
