Idaho sheriff orders license plate camera removed, will end Flock contract

HAILEY — The Blaine County Sheriff’s Office is removing an automated license plate reader camera from Carey after learning city leaders and residents were not consulted before it was installed

Sheriff Morgan Ballis announced in a news release Monday that Flock Safety has been directed to remove the camera at U.S. Highway 20 and Greenfield Way. He also said the sheriff’s office will notify Flock that its current contract, which expires in March 2027, will not automatically renew.

The camera is one of 16 automated license plate reader, or ALPR, cameras operated by the sheriff’s office across Blaine County. Although the Carey camera is within city limits, it sits on Idaho Transportation Department property. Ballis said that technicality meant Carey officials and residents were not included in discussions or approvals before it was installed.

Ballis said he learned more about the circumstances surrounding the camera during meetings with Carey officials over the past three months.

The Flock contract was signed by former Blaine County Sheriff Steve Harkins in September 2024, before Ballis took office in January 2025. The two-year agreement began in March 2025 and costs approximately $60,000 per year.

The cameras have been paid for using civil forfeiture funds outside the sheriff’s office’s annual budget approved by county commissioners. According to BCSO, the plan was to use forfeiture money to evaluate the cameras before asking commissioners to fund them in the regular budget.

But Ballis acknowledged that approach had an unintended consequence: the public did not have an opportunity to ask questions or weigh in before the cameras were deployed.

“Community trust depends on transparency and local input,” Ballis said. “I inherited this contract and these camera locations. After speaking with Carey officials and residents across Blaine County, it is clear we need to correct the placement in Carey and give the public a clear path forward when this agreement ends.”

BCSO will continue using the remaining cameras under its existing contract through March 2027. Before deciding whether to enter into a new agreement after that, Ballis said the sheriff’s office will work with Blaine County commissioners to provide an opportunity for public discussion and consider how the system would be funded.

The sheriff’s office is waiting for Flock to provide a timeline for removing the Carey camera. Ballis said additional action could be considered if the proposed timeline is not reasonable.