Flock official defends cameras as Arizona agencies rethink contracts

A Flock Safety public affairs official defended the company’s license plate-reading cameras amid recent scrutiny in Arizona, where several agencies have canceled or reconsidered contracts over privacy and misuse concerns.

The criticism has included Pinal County Sheriff Ross Teeple, who told county supervisors the technology raised constitutional concerns before announcing his office would cancel its contract.

“We have a camera system that can do facial recognition technology and can start building a data set on what our citizens are doing on a day-to-day basis,” Teeple said. “That, in my training and experience, is a huge Fourth Amendment violation.”

Trevor Chandler, Flock’s senior director of public affairs, rejected that characterization Tuesday during an interview with KTAR News 92.3 FM’s The Mike Broomhead Show.

“These cameras are about vehicles. It’s about license plates and certain vehicle characteristics,” Chandler said. “There is no facial recognition. There’s no personal records connected like a DMV record.”

Chandler said Flock data is typically kept for 30 days before being deleted, unless it is downloaded as evidence in an investigation. He said Flock does not own or sell the data.

Chandler also acknowledged concerns about misuse after an Apache Junction police officer resigned following an investigation into improper use of the technology to track a family member.

“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.”

Last week, the city of Chandler announced it won’t renew its Flock contract after discovering misuse. Other Arizona cities like Flagstaff, Sedona and South Tucson canceled their Flock contracts earlier this year.

Chandler said Flock has contracts with more than 7,000 law enforcement agencies nationwide, including dozens in Arizona.

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