Flock Cameras: Washington Post investigation finds police abused access

The Washington Post recently investigated how police officers have used Flock’s nationwide network of license-plate cameras and found cases where officers used the system for personal searches, with departments often unaware of the activity.

LiveNOW’s Anna Marsick spoke with Douglas MacMillan from The Washington Post about what they found, how the system is being misused, and what it means for oversight of police surveillance.

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At least 69 police officials have been accused, charged with or convicted of misusing Flock’s system or other license-plate readers for unauthorized purposes, The Post has found, and in at least 15 of these cases, someone outside of the police department — including victims, activists and journalists — first identified the potential misuse.

Flock, an Atlanta-based start-up backed by prominent tech investors, has acknowledged that officers are abusing its systems and says it is working to give agencies tools for catching them.

"Thousands of officers use Flock to save lives and stop crimes in their communities. Misuse of Flock undermines that work," Flock said in a post on X. "We're taking two steps to strengthen accountability: requiring Audit Assistance for law enforcement customers, and recommending cities adopt a seven-day data retention policy."

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