Hart County Sheriff’s Office discusses Flock camera policy and usage
HART COUNTY, Ky. – The Hart County Sheriff’s Office is discussing its current policy regarding Automatic License Plate Readers, also known as Flock cameras.
The agency stated in a social media post on Tuesday that it wanted to also discuss misconceptions about the cameras.
According to the sheriff’s office, Flock cameras are “a public safety and investigative tool” utilized by its deputies.
An example of use includes trying to catch an individual who steals a four-wheeler, the sheriff’s office states. The agency says the cameras are designed to capture an image of a license plate and a vehicle.
According to the sheriff’s office, these images show the license plate number, vehicle make and model, color, time and location when a vehicle passed a camera.
The agency says history on the cameras is available for up to 30 days.
According to the sheriff’s office, after that time period passes, the data is purged, and inquiries are “always historic and not in real time.”
The agency says a Flock system sends “alerts” for registration plates that are entered into the National Crime Information Center. Those alerts include wanted individuals, stolen vehicles, stolen registrations plates, golden alerts or amber alerts, missing individuals and an optional alert for sex offenders, according to the sheriff’s office.
When an alert is dispatched, the agency says deputies in the area try to locate the vehicle. If the vehicle is found, the sheriff’s office says deputies are required to confirm the registration plate through dispatch or NCIC and follow proper traffic stop steps.
What are some misconceptions, according to authorities?
According to the sheriff’s office, Flock cameras do not possess facial recognition. In addition, the agency states after speaking with Flock representatives, Flock cameras do not offer any aspect of facial recognition services.
The agency says Flock cameras also do not enforce any moving violation, such as speeding, running a red light, expired registration and more. The Flock system also does not identify the driver or occupants in the vehicle, according to the sheriff’s office.
Flock cameras do not record audio, do not download an individual’s cell phone when they pass by and do not track every citizen’s movement in real time, according to the Hart County Sheriff’s Office.
What is the legality of Flock camera use?
According to the Hart County Sheriff’s Office, the Supreme Court has “upheld countless times that you have no expectation of privacy in public.”
In addition, the agency states that same law that allows the public to record law enforcement when they are driving by a wreck or a traffic stop or any law enforcement encounter “allows Flock cameras to be used.”
The sheriff’s office addresses public concerns
The sheriff’s office states it understands most concerns about Flock cameras.
The agency further stated the following:
“As the only constitutional law enforcement office in the county, we pride ourselves in keeping your rights in the forefront of everything we do. We also pride ourselves in putting people in jail that victimize our citizens and their personal property. We are aware of the looming overreach of ‘big brother’ and our federal government; we live here as well. To be honest, if we took down all the Flock cameras today, all it would do would kneecap your local police officer, that most of you personally know, from trying to find someone’s stolen property, all while ‘big brother’ continues to track you through geofenced ad data and other means that we don’t even know about. We realize that we wont change some minds, and we all won’t agree on this, but we are here to serve you, not harm you.”
If the public has questions, the Hart County Sheriff’s Office invites the community to call 270-524-2341.
To view the Hart County Sheriff’s Office’s current policy tied to Flock cameras, click here.
