Tempe halts all Flock camera data sharing, launches transparency portal

The city of Tempe has stopped all data sharing from its Flock automated license plate readers and launched a public transparency portal, responding to community privacy concerns and recent misuse of the system by two other local law enforcement agencies.

The changes took effect Monday, and the city said it will also seek bids from license plate reader vendors, with the contract including penalties for any vendor misuse of data.

“While we had previously restricted data sharing to Arizona law enforcement agencies only, this additional step will further safeguard Tempe’s data and ensure we maintain appropriate control over access,” Tempe Police Chief Ken McCoy added in a statement.

The department noted it audits Flock searches every month and requires officers to input report numbers to access data. The most recent audit, conducted Friday, found no misuse. McCoy said no misuse was found in any of the previous audits, either.

A public search audit log shows Tempe officers ran hundreds of searches over the past month for a wide range of investigations. Logged uses included homicide cases, helping find missing persons and a possible kidnapping.

Most of the searches were for stolen vehicles and hit-and-run investigations.

A new transparency portal displays live data and usage metrics to show how the technology is governed and operated.

Trevor Chandler, Flock’s senior director of public affairs, addressed misuse concerns Tuesday during an interview with KTAR News 92.3 FM’s The Mike Broomhead Show, pointing to auditing safeguards like the ones Tempe has in place.

“Misuse is a real concern,” Chandler said. “It requires positive training and auditing, but Flock has actually gone a step beyond that. We are the only public safety technology company that actually provides audit assistance.”

Tempe police said the department will remain cooperative with other agencies statewide, which can request information through the appropriate process.

The move comes as other Valley-area agencies distance themselves from Flock. Chandler, Pinal County and Apache Junction have all recently taken action regarding the cameras.

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