Flock's cameras are actually called
Automated License Plate Readers (ALPR) or
License Plate Recognition (LPR) cameras. They are manufactured and managed by the private company Flock Safety. [
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And calling them license plate readers is like calling COVID a slight sniffle. They are MUCH more than that, since you guys want to open this can of worms. They do read license plates. They also read color, model, dents, and other characteristics, then feed this into a database of every time each vehicle is photographed, creating a profile of your every move. The 130,000 Flock Cameras in use then use that database, utilizing AI, which can be searched by every level of law enforcement.
Officers have been caught misusing that data to stalk people, like ex-wives and GF's, or use searches to look for evidence to build a case against anyone they wish.
Illinois made it illegal for entities from outside the state to access data within the state, a law that has been violated by the FBI, CIA, ICE, and other law enforcement agencies from other states.
Using FOIAs here in my town, we found that a local officer conducted 13,000 Flock Database searches using keywords like DUI, etc.
Most famously is the Texas Sheriff who tracked a woman to Indiana who had an abortion and then arrested her upon her return, using 83,000 cameras.
Our research showed that traffic stops of minorities in some cities rose dramatically after Flock Cameras were installed.
Also, approximately 40%, an astounding number of targets, were misidentified, and in many cases, people were arrested in front of their families, neighbors, co-workers, and some were stopped in traffic. Another famous case of that was in Michigan last month, when a couple who was mistakenly identified was pulled from their vehicle at gunpoint on I-94.
We found that some people were incarcerated up to a month before they were released.
Local police here said they do not use facial recognition, but a man with dementia wandered off, and the cameras were used to find him.
The cameras HAVE solved some crimes and helped find people, but these are surveillance cameras, period, building a network that tracks everyone who passes by one.
And before anyone says it, I agreed to the TOS when I joined social media sites, and I agreed to buy a phone that does the same thing, but no one ever agreed to have a camera on their front lawn tracking everything that happens on their property.
This is why many cities are breaking or not renewing contracts with Flock and why I refuse to install them.
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