Flock's license plate readers fuel privacy concerns
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Concerns over the use of automated license plate readers (ALPR) persist across metro Atlanta, as questions mount over what information the technology captures and whether guardrails are needed to protect one's privacy.
Why it matters: Citizens in metro Atlanta and beyond are pushing back against ALPRs, which they see as a government surveillance tool that potentially infringes on civil liberties.
- Cases of alleged police misuse of ALPRs have been increasing across Georgia and the country, in some cases leading to the arrests and firings of former police officers and sheriff's deputies in metro Atlanta.
- DeFlock Atlanta, an offshoot of the larger open-source website that maps ALPRs, identifies where cameras are located.
The latest: The Cobb County Police Department on Thursday held the first of four town halls to inform residents about how they use ALPRs.
- Police chief James Ferrell said Thursday the agency has 182 ALPRs made by Atlanta-based Flock Safety across the county.
- As of Aug. 26, those cameras generated 2,218 alerts on vehicles and license plates related to criminal investigations or people reported missing.
What they're saying: Jalen Johnson, a public affairs officer with Flock, said at the meeting he was "moved" by company data that says it helped locate 10,000 missing people last year and helped in more than 1 million criminal investigations across the country.
- "We can have a conversation where both community safety and community values coexist, but let's not be dismissive of the power that this technology has," he said Thursday.
The other side: One resident, M. David McFarland, called for an independent review board that could oversee how police use ALPRs.
- Another resident said the cameras monitor a person's movements. "This this is way too big of a risk," he said, "way too big of an invasion of our civil liberties."
- Flock says on its website that it doesn't track individuals.
How they work: Flock's ALPRs use AI to capture and store information including car license plates, car make and other features. Its software logs the license plate information and location.
- Law enforcement agencies can set up alerts for vehicles and license plates that are connected to crimes or missing people.
- When a camera detects a match, they will alert police who (if they are in an area) can attempt to track down the car.
- Ferrell said the ALPRs Cobb police use do not use facial recognition technology, does not identify people or detect a person's race or gender.
State of play: Concerns about the use of ALPRs has caught the attention of state and federal legislators.
- State Sen. John Albers (R-Roswell) said he's working with Georgia police chiefs and sheriffs to identify immediate areas where improvements can be made, including consistent auditing, clearer training standards and tighter controls on who can access data.
- In Congress, both parties have raised concerns about Flock's network of around 120,000 cameras, prompting a Senate investigation, Axios' Andrew Solender reports.
What we're watching: Atlanta police said in an Aug. 11 statement that it's conducting an audit of the department's use of ALPRs. There's no timeline on when that audit will be complete.