Flock Safety adds mandatory audit tools and search justification to curb police misuse of license-plate readers
Flock Safety announced mandatory safeguards, including required search reasons and real-time audit alerts, to prevent law-enforcement officers from improperly using its automated license-plate reader system.
Flock Safety said on Thursday it will roll out new safeguards for its automated license-plate reader (ALPR) network after several incidents in which police officers were accused of using the technology for personal or non-investigative purposes. The company, whose cameras are deployed by more than 6,000 agencies and total about 120,000 units in 49 states, will make an "audit assistance" tool mandatory for all customers and require officers to enter a specific case code and offense type for every vehicle search.
The updated system will flag abnormal search patterns, such as repeated queries on the same plate or searches conducted late at night, and lock the user out until an administrator reviews the activity. Data retention will be reduced from 30 days to seven days, except when a search is placed in "evidence mode" for an ongoing investigation. Agencies will also be able to limit the categories of cases other departments may query, for example allowing searches for violent crimes while excluding immigration-related offenses.
Company CEO Garrett Langley said the changes are intended to stop “abuse of power” and protect the privacy that the public expects, adding that the company will now monitor all customers rather than the optional one-third that previously used the audit tool. "You will get caught," he said in a message to law-enforcement users.
The move follows several high-profile investigations, including the arrest of a Georgia police chief and an Arizona officer accused of using the system to stalk individuals, as well as contract terminations by municipalities in Arizona over Fourth-Amendment concerns. ACLU senior policy counsel Chad Marlow warned that the technology contributes to "mass government surveillance" that many believe is out of control.
Flock Safety said the new measures are designed to ensure that every search has a legitimate investigative purpose and to deter officers from exploiting the system for personal gain.