LAKE COUNTY,Fla. — A Lake County commissioner wants to remove driver-facing cameras from county firefighter and EMS vehicles, arguing that employee monitoring creates an unnecessary burden.
Commissioner Anthony Sabatini announced the proposal in a Facebook post, saying he plans to make a motion at the commission’s Oct. 27 meeting.
The proposal follows Lake County commissioners’ Sept. 1 vote to remove Flock Safety license plate-reading cameras from county rights of way. Sabatini also pushed for that decision amid privacy concerns. Those roadside cameras record passing vehicles, while his latest proposal concerns cameras facing employees inside firefighter and EMS vehicles.
The county installed the cameras to collect information about driver behavior and traffic safety, Sabatini said.
“That goal is important, but the intangible costs of constantly monitoring our employees outweigh it,” he wrote.
Sabatini said firefighters and EMS personnel already work under significant pressure.
“Adding the stress of a camera pointed at them throughout their shifts places an unnecessary burden on people doing the work,” he wrote.
Proposal focuses on cameras inside vehicles
The cameras face drivers inside the vehicles’ cabs. Other departments, including those in Orange and Alachua counties, also use cameras in their vehicles, according to Channel 9’s reporting.
Sabatini compared his proposal with Lake County’s removal of Flock cameras, which monitor vehicles on roadways, citing concerns about surveillance.
The proposed removal of the driver-facing cameras would require commission action. No decision has been announced.
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