Flock establishes websites to give local transparency for use of its cameras

By Linda Cicoira

     The sheriff’s offices for both counties on the Eastern Shore of Virginia updated Flock Transparency Portals on Tuesday to show total data figures for the last 30 days.

The Accomack site at https://transparency.flocksafety.com/accomack-county-va-so reported that its 43 cameras detected 228,926 unique license plates, recorded 71 user search sessions, and logged 181 hotlist hits in the last 30 days. 

 The Northampton site at https://transparency.flocksafety.com/northampton-county-va-so reported that its 34 cameras read 171,688 unique plates, had 67 user search sessions, and logged 458 hotlist hits over the last 30 days.

Both counties retain collected data for 21 days.

The hotlist sources include the National Crime Information Center, or NCIC, National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, or NCMEC, Amber Alert, and the Virginia State Police.

According to both posts, the system is used “to capture objective evidence without compromising on individual privacy” and operates a “retroactive search to solve crimes after they’ve occurred.”

The site also states that it “uses real-time alerting for hotlist vehicles to capture wanted criminals … To ensure proper usage and guardrails are in place, it has made … policies and usage statistics available to the public.”

License plates and vehicles are detected. The sites state that the cameras do not detect facial recognition, people, gender, or race. 

Data is used for law enforcement purposes only and is never sold to third parties.

Both Sheriff’s maintain Flock Cameras are used responsibly, and protect our most vulnerable populations.

“The purpose of the Flock Safety system is not to monitor law-abiding citizens or interfere with lawful activity. It is an investigative tool intended to help our deputies and investigators protect the community, solve crimes, locate missing and endangered persons, recover stolen vehicles and property, and apprehend individuals who pose a threat to the citizens of Accomack County,” said Sheriff Todd Wessells. “Since implementing the system in August 2022, Flock Safety technology has assisted the Accomack County Sheriff’s Office in numerous investigations and has provided investigators with information that otherwise may not have been available. We will continue to use this technology responsibly, lawfully, and transparently.”

Prohibited uses include immigration enforcement, traffic enforcement, harassment or intimidation, use based solely on a protected class, and personal use.

Law enforcement uses “include locating stolen vehicles, missing persons, wanted individuals, and vehicles associated with criminal investigations or alerts such as AMBER, SILVER, and BOLO notices,” according to the posts. “All … searches or alerts initiated for criminal investigations must be based on reasonable suspicion … Misuse of … equipment or data will result in disciplinary action and may include criminal or civil penalties.”

Northampton County utilized the cameras to locate a missing elderly man with dementia. On March 28th, the individual was reported missing from Cape Charles. Flock was used to track the man’s movements, as he was in a vehicle and had traveled out of the area, prompting a “Silver Alert” to be issued. A custom hotlist was created for the vehicle he was in, and later that day, the man returned to the area. A hotlist alert helped locate him and ensured his safe return to his family.

“Since the Northampton County Sheriff’s Office began utilizing Flock Cameras in 2023, we have used our cameras to solve numerous criminal cases. Some of the cases involved murder, drive-by shootings, the apprehension of wanted individuals, child pornography, sexual assault, firearms offenses, burglary, theft, possession and distribution of illegal narcotics, fraud, locating missing and endangered persons, the recovery of stolen vehicles, and other violent and serious offenses,” said Northampton Sheriff David Doughty. “We have a policy that regulates how the cameras are used. In accordance with Virginia Code 2.2-5517, the data is stored for 21 days, shared with only Virginia State and local law enforcement agencies, and can only be accessed if there has been a report made and crime committed. Additionally, to identify any misuse, we have an audit process that is conducted every 30 days. In accordance with our policy, any law enforcement officer who misuses system data is guilty of a class 1 misdemeanor which will result in termination and a recommendation to the Department of Criminal Justice Services for decertification as a law enforcement officer. We understand that there are some concerns about Flock Cameras and we would like the citizens to know that we will continue to strictly monitor the system usage, be transparent with the public, respect the rights and privacy of the citizens, and hold anyone who misuses the data fully accountable.”