Flock cameras, and license plate readers (LPRs) in general, have recently generated significant media attention across the country, as law enforcement is increasingly using them to prosecute lawbreakers. However, while law enforcement is embracing a new way to penalize, recent controversies surrounding the cameras have caused the public to be skeptical. According to Flock’s website, Flock cameras are license plate reader cameras that photograph the license plate of a car, and, unlike other LPRs, use AI technology to analyze the make, model, color, and other distinguishing features of a car, such as stickers, magnets, bikes or bike racks. They also record the time and place the vehicle is seen.
Flock cameras are intended to capture information that would be visible to other drivers. The cameras do not have facial recognition and they cannot identify the number of occupants in a vehicle. The data the cameras capture are automatically erased after seven days unless legal authorities require access to the footage. Flock cameras that are used by businesses, homeowners’ associations, or security companies are able to determine what, where, and with whom the camera’s encrypted data is shared.
According to Collegeville Police Chief John Barnshaw, Collegeville does not currently have any Flock cameras. However, the area does have several types of cameras at intersections that are “for vehicle detection to let the traffic signals know when to change the signal to allow traffic to move. These are the cameras that most people see on top of the mast arms.” Chief Barnshaw added, “There is also a live camera feed that is installed by PennDOT that can be viewed on their website. We also have fixed and mobile LPRs.” Unlike the Flock cameras, Collegeville’s LPRs are exclusively for government agencies. The mobile LPR was reportedly purchased through a Southeast Pennsylvania Regional Task Force grant in 2019.
Pennsylvania state lawmakers have suggested various legislative measures to ensure that Flock cameras and other automated LPRs are safe and used appropriately. These measures emphasize data privacy, audit trails, and civil liberty safeguards, vendor restrictions, and the installation and highway permitting standards, as stated by Chief Barnshaw.
Despite the public scrutiny surrounding LPRs, Chief Barnshaw said, “they have become a valuable tool for the Collegeville Police Department. LPRs have directly aided in locating stolen vehicles, finding missing elderly drivers, identifying suspects in serious crimes, including a jewelry store burglary, a strong-arm retail robbery, bank frauds, hunting complaints, thefts from porches and romance scams.” While no Flock cameras have been placed in the region, Gary Hoffman, Vice President of the Borough of Collegeville, has made comments at Council meetings that suggest that Flock cameras may have a place in Collegeville’s future. At the August 5th meeting, Vice President Hoffman said, “a future topic will be Flock cameras.”
