Police credit license-plate readers with finding missing people, tracking suspects
Flock Safety, one of the nation’s largest providers of automated license plate readers, announced Thursday it is making changes to its platform intended to address privacy concerns and documented abuses of its system by some members of law enforcement.
The company’s cameras document license plate data and other vehicle characteristics as automobiles pass them. The thousands of law enforcement agencies that contract with Flock can search and share that data across jurisdictions to inform investigations.
Dozens of cities and law enforcement agencies have ended their relationships with Flock amid concerns the data can be accessed for immigration enforcement or used in unauthorized surveillance.
A flurry of examples of law enforcement officers misusing the technology for personal searches has surfaced.
Police have credited the technology as an important crime-fighting innovation, citing its role in locating missing people and tracking violent-crime suspects.