GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Police monitoring the data Flock cameras collect, will face new restrictions. Flock Safety announcing several changes for use of its technology following cases of misuse by police around the country.
Among the changes, data retention has been dropped from 30 days to just seven going forward. Existing customers can keep their already approved retention period.
“We’ll need to talk to our investigators and our officers to make sure that works for us, but they’ll still allow us the option of having a longer retention period and you know it’s a good opportunity for us to look and maybe we don’t need to keep it so long,” said GBPD Chief Chris Davis.
Also in Thursday’s announcement, Flock safety now mandates its customers use audit assistance and require a case code for vehicle searches. Chief Davis says that doesn’t change how the Green Bay Police Department uses the technology.
“We’ve required for a while now that anyone entering a search for a license plate in the system include a case number and a specific reason. I’m glad to see them rolling that out nationwide,” said Davis.
Existing customers must adopt the features by the end of the year. Chief Davis adds Green Bay Police recently did an audit of its use and didn’t find any instances of misuse within the department.
Despite that, Davis said GBPD is taking a look at its own policies too, “We have an update to our ALPR policy under development right now that we hope to have finalized in the next month or so. That will mandate monthly audits.”
Opponents of the cameras say Flock’s changes aren’t enough.
“I don’t think it makes a huge difference. I don’t see why we should spend more money to give up more of our freedoms for essentially not any more safety,” said Lisa Sanderfoot.
To improve safety, Sanderfoot advocated for using the money spent on Flock cameras for community resources.
“I travel through Green Bay on pretty much a daily basis. Flock makes me feel less safe instead of more safe,” said Sanderfoot.
Davis called the technology a “valuable public safety tool that has paid huge dividends.”
“I don’t want to violate people’s civil liberties or impact people any more than we have to any more than they want us to. So, I’m hopeful we can get to a good place that we can all live with,” said Davis.
The technology that has sparked public pushback, continuing to evolve.
Incidents involving Flock cameras:
- A Florida officer has been accused of using Flock cameras to track his estranged wife more than 700 times.
- Last week, a Flock camera flagged a car for a Milwaukee homicide. Brookfield Police pulled over the driver, guns drawn. It turned out to be the wrong person.
- In June, a former Milwaukee police officer pleaded guilty to misconduct for using the system to track his ex-girlfriend. He was fined and sentenced to probation.
- In January, a Menasha police officer pleaded not guilty to misconduct charges. He’s also accused of using Flock to stalk his ex-girlfriend.
- A Kenosha County Sheriff’s Deputy was not charged for using Flock to track another deputy he was dating.
