Mahoning has a couple cameras watching its Lowe's, with another near Walmart and a fourth positioned on a suspiciously quiet road.
Mahoning Township is the proud host of the busiest shopping complex in the south Carbon County area, boasting locations for major brands such as Lowe's, Walmart, and McDonald's. We can't blame them for wanting to keep the area safe with all that activity, but they need to understand that ALPR systems are not the way to go.
Right now, the Lowe's inside the township has two Flock cameras watching its parking lot. These cameras are likely installed by the Lowe's store, not the Township itself. The township does have a camera watching those who dare shop at Walmart, though, and another close by on Fredericks Grove, the quiet road that intersects Walmart's entrance. I find it rather odd to put an ALPR here; why not use that $3,000 per year to secure a place people actually go?
Mahoning Township does not have an RTK email address listed on their website. In the Carbon County Municipal directory and PA Office of Open Records, the secretary Natalie Haggerty is listed as the RTK contact with an out-of-service email address. To find the correct email, I ended up calling the office where the secretary answered and read me her address. I then apologized for having to call and informed her that I didn't see any email contact on the website, to which she responded (with a fair bit of attitude) "well, it's there."
On July 16, I received their response via US Mail. Interestingly, the response included, "Mahoning Township does not have any intergovernmental cooperation agreements, interlocal agreements, or memorandums of understanding with an of the municipalities listed." This is verifiably false, as Lehighton was able to produce a license agreement between it and Mahoning to install cameras on its property.
I filed a new RTK request for more information on the locations of the cameras and disputed the last request for its unclear denial reasons.
Select a tab to view the Right-to-Know requests sent to Mahoning Township
July 07, 2026
July 16, 2026
July 07, 2026
Pursuant to the Pennsylvania Right-to-Know Law (65 P.S. § 67.101 et seq.), I request copies of the following records:
1. Any contract, agreement, or purchase order between Mahoning Township and Flock Safety, Inc. (or its affiliates) for automated license plate reader (ALPR) camera hardware, software, or services.
2. Any intergovernmental cooperation agreement, interlocal agreement, or memorandum of understanding between Mahoning Township and any other municipality (including but not limited to Franklin Township, Lehighton Borough, and Weissport Borough) relating to the installation, operation, funding, or data-sharing of ALPR camera systems, including but not limited to any agreement referenced as the “Flock Camera Agreement” in Lehighton Borough Resolution R-16-2025, and all attachments, exhibits, and appendices thereto.
3. Any Mahoning Township Board of Supervisors resolution, motion, or meeting minutes reflecting approval of any agreement or contract described above.
4. Any records reflecting cost allocation, billing, or payment by or to Mahoning Township related to ALPR camera systems.
5. Any security audit, vulnerability assessment, or penetration test conducted on, or provided by Flock Safety regarding, the ALPR camera system.
6. Any records reflecting known security vulnerabilities, incidents, or breaches involving the ALPR camera system, including any correspondence with Flock Safety regarding such vulnerabilities or incidents.
7. Any access control policy, authorization list, or similar record identifying which individuals, departments, or agencies are authorized to access ALPR camera data or system administration functions.
8. Any records reflecting notification to or from Flock Safety regarding software updates, patches, or security advisories related to the ALPR camera system.
9. Any data sharing agreement, memorandum of understanding, or policy governing which municipalities, police departments, or agencies have access to ALPR camera data from cameras located within or near Mahoning Township.
July 16, 2026
Thank you for your email to Mahoning Township with your request for information pursuant to the Pennsylvania Right-To-Know law.
On July 4, 2026 (received by email on July 7, 2026) you requested: 1. Any contract, agreement, or purchase order between Mahoning Township and Flock Safety, Inc. (or its affiliates) for automated license plate reader camera hardware, software, or services. 2. Any intergovernmental cooperation agreement, interlocal agreement, or memorandum of understanding between Mahoning Township and any other municipality related to installation, operation, funding, or data-sharing of ALPR camera systems, including but not limited to any agreement referenced as the “Flock Camera Agreement” in Lehighton Borough Resolution R-16-2025, and all attachments, exhibits, and appendices thereto. 3. Any Mahoning Township Board of Supervisors resolution, motion or meeting minutes reflecting approval of any agreement or contract described above. 4. Any records reflecting cost allocation, billing or payment by or to Mahoning Township related to ALPR camera systems. 5. Any security audit, vulnerability assessment, or penetration test conducted on or provided by Flock Safety regarding the ALPR camera system. 6. Any records reflecting known security vulnerabilities, incidents or breaches involving the ALPR camera system, including any correspondence with Flock Safety regarding such vulnerabilities or incidents. 7. Any access control policy, authorization list or similar record identifying which individuals, departments or agencies or authorized to access ALPR camera data or system administration functions. 8. Any records reflecting notification to or from Flock Safety regarding software updates, patches , or security advisories related to the ALPR camera system. 9. Any data sharing agreement, memorandum or understanding or policy governing which municipalities, police departments or agencies have access to ALPR camera data from cameras located within or near Mahoning Township.
Your request is partially denied records 5-9 for reason that it would require the creation of a record which does not currently exist; and is therefore denied. 65- P.S. Section 67.705. The Mahoning Township Police Department does not compile, maintain, format or organize its records in a manner which provides the information you are requesting. 65 P.S. § 67.705. Please find record 1. Purchase order, 3. Meeting minutes 4. Billing/payment record. 2. Mahoning Township does not have any intergovernmental cooperation agreements, interlocal agreements, or memorandums of understanding with an of the municipalities listed. I have no knowledge of Lehighton Boroughs Resolution R-16-2025.
You have the right to appeal this partial denial of information in writing to Liz Wagenseller Commonwealth Keystone Building, 400 North Street, 4th Floor, Harrisburg, PA 17120-0225 If you choose to file an appeal you must do so within 15 business days of the mailing date of this agency's response. See 65 P.S. § 67.1101. Please note that a copy of your original Right-to-Know request and this denial letter must be included when filing an appeal. The law also requires that you state the reasons why the record is a public record and address each of the reasons the Agency denies your request. Visit the Office of Open Records website at http://www.openrecords.pa.gov for further information on filing an appeal. If you have further questions, please call Mahoning Township's Open Records Officer, Natalie Haggerty.
| Date Sent | July 07, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Date Deemed Denied | July 15, 2026 |
| Date Completed | July 16, 2026 |
| Sent-to Address | [email protected] |
All relevant documents and their download links.