At the Aug. 5 Hanover Township, Lehigh County, Council meeting, council received a report on the effectiveness of the Flock cameras installed last year.

Pennsylvania State Police Troop M leader Jason Troutman provided an update on the positive experience and assistance with arresting crime perpetrators with the assistance of the Flock cameras. Flock cameras reportedly improve efficiency in law enforcement by providing real-time, actionable intelligence that leads to quicker arrests.

A Flock camera is an automated license plate reader built by the Flock Safety Company. The camera is fixed on streets, neighborhood entrances and highways. The cameras capture details like license plates; vehicle make, model and color; and unique features such as bumper stickers or temporary tags, logging data into searchable cloud database used by law enforcement.

Law enforcement agencies use the system to generate investigative leads for stolen cars, violent crimes and Amber alerts.

Critics of Flock cameras raise concerns over how easily local data is shared across different police jurisdictions or federal entities. Civil liberties groups argue that logging everyday transit habits creates a massive tracking network of ordinary citizens without warrants.

Another concern is the ability for the collected data to be misused and erode individual privacy and limiting civil rights.

In other business, council approved the adoption of the township’s five-year capital plan for 2027-31. A capital plan outlines a government’s spending on long-term assets, such as buildings and major building renovations, trucks and other expensive vehicles and new technology.

Unlike operating budgets that cover day-to-day costs, capital budgets fund major investments meant to drive future growth or municipal development and can be depreciated over time.

Council voted to approve the authorization for township Manager Melissa Wehr to sign the sanitary sewer utility HOP permit for the Lehigh Valley Academy black box theater.

Council also voted to approve the Lehigh Northampton Airport Authority Taxiway A and parking garage to amend condition No. 2 of resolution 2026-36, granting conditional approval for preliminary/final land development plans.

The township manager was authorized to release payment to SLC Excavating LLC for the Sherwood Park pickleball and basketball courts project in the amount of $41,408.47.

Council approved the bills for the township through Aug. 5.

The next meeting was expected to be 7 p.m. Aug. 19. Council also meets 7 p.m. Sept. 2 at the municipal building, 2202 Grove Road, Allentown. Visit hanleco.org to review the agenda.