Authorities increasingly rely on license plate reader cameras to solve crimes, recover stolen vehicles and find wanted suspects. But as the technology has spread, so have concerns about surveillance, data retention and who can access the information.
Here's what to know about the data those cameras collect, how it's stored and why it's used.
What data does Flock collect?
When a vehicle passes a Flock camera, the system captures its license plate and records details such as the make, model, color and distinguishing features. The image is tagged with the vehicle's location, date and time. That information can then be compared against law enforcement "hot lists" of vehicles linked to crimes, missing persons or other investigations.
How long is data stored?
Departments control the data generated by their
cameras and decide whether to share it with other agencies in Flock's network. Departments can also choose what kind of reasons other agencies can use to search their cameras, such as only for stolen cars, missing people and violent crime.
Before Flock made recent changes in response to privacy concerns, data would be deleted after 30 days by default. Now, new and existing customers are recommended to set their cameras to delete data after 7 days.
Agencies can set different retention periods if allowed by law. While many Greater Cincinnati departments purge data after 30 days unless it's tied to an investigation, others have no specified retention limit.
Who can search your license plate data?
Access is generally limited to trained personnel for legitimate law enforcement purposes. Users must document a reason for each search, often by entering a case number or investigation reference, and every search creates an audit trail. Most departments also prohibit officers from using the system for personal reasons.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: What data does Flock gather about your car? What to know
