Local law enforcement chiefs are taking various approaches to deal with growing public concern about the use of license plate reader cameras to track their vehicles.
Since July, at least 20 Virginia local governments have pulled away from Flock Safety devices, Cardinal News reports. A Republican state senator wants to ban them across the state. Local governments have been grappling with citizen complaints about their privacy and concerns about who has access to information.
Locally, the response has been varied:
York-Poquoson Sheriff Ron Montgomery, a strong proponent of Flock’s safety benefits, invited the public to a town hall this Thursday to explain how Flock works and clear up what he said is false information
William & Mary Police Chief Don Butler said campus police stopped automatically sharing data with outside law enforcement agencies Aug. 27, moving instead to a case-by-case review process
James City County police cut the time they retain data on the automated license plate recognition (ALPR) system from the 21-day limit allowed by Virginia law to 14 days, the Williamsburg Independent reported. That period is still longer than the seven-day retention period recommended by Flock Safety
Flock Safety, based in Atlanta, says it services more than 6,000 police departments with technology that it says keeps the public safe without violating privacy.