Use of Flock cameras spreading across Eastern Iowa

The use of cameras by law enforcement to scan license plates and record vehicle information in an online database was limited in Eastern Iowa just a few years ago, and most residents had never even heard of the technology.

But in recent years, Automated License Plate Readers, or ALPRs, have been a hot-button issue on city council agendas across Linn and Johnson counties, with supporters lauding the usefulness of the cameras as a law enforcement tool, while opponents express concerns about privacy and surveillance.

How do ALPR cameras work, and who is using them?

ALPR cameras — often called Flock cameras because of Atlanta-based Flock Safety, the company that supplies most ALPRs in Iowa — work by automatically scanning the license plates and color, make, and model of every vehicle that passes within their view.

Vehicles are then run through law enforcement databases to check if they are stolen, associated with someone who has a warrant out for their arrest, or connected to any amber or silver alerts. Police officers are pinged for follow up.

The cameras also save the vehicle information — usually for 30 days, but the time can vary by agency — in a database, so officers can search for vehicles as part of investigations.

Law enforcement agencies that have installed Flock cameras in Linn and Johnson counties include the University of Iowa Police Department, the Cedar Rapids Police Department and the North Liberty Police Department. The Coralville City Council will install the cameras after approving a policy last month that governs use of the technology. Coralville will pay $36,000 for its two-year contract with Flock Safety.

“There is definitely growth across the country, and it’s because of a number of macro trends. We’re unfortunately seeing nationwide a dearth of law enforcement resources,” said Holly Beilin, communications director for Flock Safety. “There’s a law enforcement hiring and retention crisis. They need more technology in order to be able to do their job efficiently.”

Other Eastern Iowa law enforcement agencies have been considering using the cameras. The Linn County Sheriff’s Office in August sent messages to the towns it provides law enforcement for, letting them know the sheriff’s office is looking into installing cameras in rural areas and asking if they would be interested in paying for cameras to be added in their city.

Some of the municipalities, including Palo and Fairfax, have discussed the topic at city council meetings, but no decisions have been made. Linn County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Doug Riniker said it may be several months before any specific plans can be made regarding the cameras, since each individual municipality that could be involved will have to make a decision and work it into their budget.

The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office also has been exploring a possible Flock program with the city of Tiffin, which the sheriff’s office provides law enforcement for, but hasn’t looked into the cameras for the rest of the county. No official action has been taken on the Flock discussions with Tiffin, and Johnson County Sheriff Brad Kunkel said he’s not sure when the topic will be revisited.

Private businesses — including the Lowe’s and Home Depot stores in Linn and Johnson Counties, and the Coral Ridge Mall in Coralville — also have installed Flock cameras in their parking lots.

“Retail crime is an ongoing issue, and it has been on the rise over the last several years for many retailers,” Home Depot representative Sarah McDonald told The Gazette in an email. “We have many initiatives in place to mitigate it, including human and technology resources to make theft in our stores more difficult, close partnerships with law enforcement and significant efforts working with federal and state task forces to fight this problem. We don’t comment on specific security measures which would give criminals a road map to our practices.”

Representatives from Lowe’s and Brookfield Properties — the company that owns the Coral Ridge Mall — did not respond to requests for comment about their use of Flock cameras.

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Privacy concerns

Many community members have raised concerns about privacy with the use of Flock cameras, especially when it comes to data storage and policies for sharing data with other agencies, including federal agencies that could use the data for immigration enforcement.

Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias announced in August that an audit of Flock use in Illinois identified that U.S. Customs and Border Protection had accessed Illinois Flock data despite an Illinois law passed in 2023 that bans sharing license plate data with police investigating out-of-state abortions or undocumented immigrants.

“You have heard from residents that this Flock system will make them feel safe. You have also heard from a wide range of our community members that they are scared, fearing that they might be part of the next group that gets targeted. Those residents of our town deserve to feel safe, too,” Coralville resident Dan Wohlers told the city council at a September meeting.

Flock announced in August that it would pause pilot programs with the Department of Homeland Security’s Customs and Border Protection, which Flock leaders said were meant to help with human trafficking and fentanyl distribution investigations.

“I don’t believe the potential for lawsuits, violations of privacy, or the capacity for misuse is worth it, because that capacity exists, even with rules and regulations in place,” Jaeda Wilson, another community member who spoke at the Coralville meeting, said.

Coralville City Council members also expressed concerns about the potential for misuse as they questioned a Flock representative who was invited to speak during the meeting. Ultimately, the council voted 3-2 to move forward with the cameras.

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Leaders in other cities also have expressed concern about the cameras. Cedar Rapids City Council member Ashley Vanorny, during a Public Safety and Youth Services Committee meeting on Sept. 15, noted that a number of cities across the country have recently canceled their contracts with Flock.

“When I see other colleagues have second thoughts and decide that it’s actually not worth the squeeze, it’s something that I’m going to be following very carefully, because I need to ensure that it’s being used as intended,” Vanorny said, speaking after a presentation from the police department outlining the department’s established privacy policies with the cameras, 76 of which were installed around Cedar Rapids earlier this year.

“If the harm outweighs the benefit, then I think we just need to be very careful of how this is being used.”

Transparency and usage policies differ

All government departments that use Flock cameras have an online Flock transparency portal, but the information included in the portals differs between agencies. They each have acceptable use policies and prohibited use policies that state, among other things, the cameras should not be used for immigration enforcement.

The North Liberty portal includes a monthly audit of the department’s data searches, with reasons for searches listed such as “vehicle burglary,” “assault,” “suicidal subject,” and others. The audit shows there were 21 searches in the last 30 day period. It doesn’t state when the audit was last updated, but the last search listed was on Oct. 12.

“I do think that transparency is important,” North Liberty Police Chief Diane Venenga said. “We track it, not only for our department, but also we want the public to be aware that this is why they’re using the system.”

The University of Iowa portal also includes an audit, which shows 228 searches in the last 30-day period, with the last search on Oct. 12.

The Cedar Rapids portal doesn’t include an audit, but Cedar Rapids Police Captain Cody Estling, who gave the presentation at the Sept. 15 committee meeting, said the department does run regular internal audits.

“Data is used for law enforcement purposes only. In order to search you have to have a specific reason and you have to provide a case number or a call for service number, so we understand exactly why we’re utilizing that system to search,” Estling said in the meeting.

Flock offers police departments the ability choose which other agencies have access to their data. Private businesses that use the system aren’t able to access anyone’s data but their own.

The Cedar Rapids portal and the University of Iowa portals both include a list of the agencies that the departments share their data with. The Cedar Rapids Police Department only shares data with 56 departments, all of which are in Iowa. The University of Iowa Police Department shares data with more than 1,000 agencies.

The North Liberty portal doesn’t include a list of shared departments, but Venenga said the department shares its data through a search and hotlist feature, which can be accessed by 2,110 other law enforcement agencies.

“Law enforcement … they own and control access to their data. Flock does not. So, they can decide if they want to share their data. They can decide not to share that date. That is up to the city and the individual law enforcement agency that is the customer here,” Beilin, with Flock, said. “We’re not going to mandate any specific policies. That’s really up to the laws of the locality.”

Private businesses that use Flock services don’t have online transparency portals, but Lowes and Home Depot both mention ALPR cameras in their online privacy and security statements. Both companies’ policies state they only share data with their ALPR providers or with law enforcement or third parties when it is necessary for safety or to comply with legal requirements.

ALPR cameras are a “force multiplier”

Law enforcement agencies that use the cameras have praised them as a useful law enforcement tool. In the Cedar Rapids committee meeting, Estling cited examples of instances the cameras had been useful, including an instance in which a person with dementia got lost while driving and was able to be found using the cameras, and a drive-by shooting case in which the cameras were able to identify the vehicle of the shooter, leading to an arrest.

“ (ALPR cameras) capture vehicle information, not people. They focus on vehicles because that’s how people travel when they commit crimes, and it’s an amazing lead generation tool for us,” Estling said in the meeting. “The technology has made us more efficient, more effective, and better at our work.”

Venenga agreed, stating that the North Liberty Police Department has also seen multiple cases solved using the cameras.

“We utilize them for any time there's been a report made and there's a vehicle involved of some sort,” Venenga said. “If we don't have any suspect information, then we immediately go to our Flock cameras, and we can try to determine if we can locate a driver or a vehicle involved in the crime.”

She acknowledged there have been some instances when officers have attempted to search for vehicles in the system and come up blank, and she believes some criminals are now trying to find ways to circumvent the cameras, like blocking their license plate or stealing a license plate off a similar looking vehicle. But even with their limitations, she said the cameras have made police work more efficient.

“I believe it's kind of a force multiplier for us,” Venenga said.

Comments: (319) 398-8328; emily.andersen@thegazette.com