Four police officers have left their posts after a string of Flock-related incidents rocked the Valley over the course of a week.
Chandler was the first to announce that a routine audit flagged an officer who misused the automated license plate reader system to track a family member. Days later, Apache Junction, Goodyear and Surprise all said each city caught an officer misusing the system.
Those incidents also led some police agencies to rethink their contracts with the ALPR provider. Tempe has started to find a new vendor while Queen Creek planned a meeting to discuss its contract with Flock Safety. Gilbert said that the town is looking to enhance its auditing process.
On the heels of the series of misuses, Flock Safety, a controversial company
that supplies thousands of police departments across the nation with automated license plate readers, announced it would reduce its data retention period and enhance data security through multi-factor authentication and offense filtering. The company applauded its own automated auditing system for catching the anomalies in the data.
Proponents have said the technology has led to returning stolen vehicles, finding missing children and adults and identifying criminals. But opponents have decried the system as mass surveillance, pointing to Flock's network of agencies across the U.S. They have also expressed concerns about Flock being used for immigration enforcement.
Which Valley cities use Flock Safety?
Flock Safety supplies cameras to 60 Arizona law enforcement agencies, and nearly every city in the Valley uses Flock or some kind of ALPR.
These cities use Flock Safety ALPRs:
- Apache Junction: About 30 cameras
- Avondale: 15 cameras
- Buckeye: 70 cameras
- Gilbert: 42 cameras
- Glendale: unknown number of cameras
- Goodyear: 33 cameras
- Queen Creek: 47 cameras
- Mesa: 85 cameras
- Peoria: 75 cameras
- San Tan Valley: unknown
- Scottsdale: 85 cameras
- Tempe: 33 cameras
Arizona State University has about 20 Flock cameras on its Tempe campus.
Chandler previously worked with Flock Safety and purchased 40 cameras. The contract has been terminated, the Police Department announced Aug. 7. Though those cameras still remain in Chandler, city officials said the cameras have been turned off and officers have had their access to the data restricted.
Surprise also worked with Flock Safety and has 28 cameras. A councilmember shared on Aug. 14 that the city had cut ties with the company and requested Flock remove its cameras.
Queen Creek is also testing 15 Axon ALPR cameras in the town.
Phoenix uses a different ALPR company than Flock Safety.
How have residents responded to Flock cameras?
Residents across the Valley have petitioned their cities to get rid of their Flock contracts, even before misuses came to light.
A Surprise resident, who has called Flock a form of mass surveillance, tried to get the information collected on him through a public records request. The Police Department refused, saying it could not legally release that information.
Goodyear resident and former Councilmember Jennifer Barber, who has been researching Flock for years, obtained data Flock captured of her vehicles in Prescott Valley and Goodyear. She noticed something was wrong with some of the Goodyear data ― some of the close-up photos of license plates were not hers, and Goodyear Police Chief Brian Issitt told her there were no methods in place to remove plates from the Flock system.
Chandler and Tempe have seen residents flood City Council meetings to urge councilmembers to end their contracts with Flock Safety. On Aug. 13, dozens showed up to a Chandler City Council meeting to push for no ALPRs in Chandler.
But other cities, like Avondale, have not heard any complaints about the technology.
Have any cities in the Valley canceled or amended their contract with Flock?
Chandler announced Aug. 7 that it would cut ties with Flock Safety after a routine audit found an officer within the department used Flock to track a family member with a history of health problems. That officer has since resigned.
Surprise canceled its contract days after the city announced it was temporarily suspending the use of its Flock ALPR cameras. A routine audit found that an officer possibly misused the system, which led to the suspension.
Apache Junction and Goodyear, where officers have been accused of using the Flock system in violation of policy, both said the cities were not seeking to end their contracts.
Citing the string of incidents, Tempe recently said the city would begin its move away from Flock Safety, starting with axing data-sharing outside of the Police Department. It also created a transparency portal and will seek a new vendor for ALPR cameras.
The Queen Creek Town Council will meet on Sept. 2 to discuss “potential contract changes" and “enhanced safeguards” for its Flock system, while the Avondale and Scottsdale police departments are seeking to add additional safeguards and measures to hold bad actors accountable.
Buckeye, Gilbert and Mesa have not considered revising or canceling their contracts with Flock.
Which cities audit Flock data?
Buckeye, Chandler, Glendale, Mesa, Peoria and Tempe audit the Flock data at least monthly. Surprise did weekly audits.
Moving forward, Mesa police will "conduct additional monthly reviews to provide an added layer of oversight and transparency," department spokesperson Laura Cervantes said.
Goodyear Police Department conducts audits “regularly,” Sgt. Mayra Reeson said in a written statement. She was unable to immediately clarify what “regularly” meant.
Gilbert audits its Flock system annually but is working to update its policy to monthly audits to "further ensure accountability," spokesperson Brenda Carrasco said.
Queen Creek audits its system at least quarterly.
Have Valley police departments found misuse?
Yes, four Valley cities have reported a possible misuse of the Flock system.
Chandler said a previously scheduled audit found an officer used the Flock system to track a family member with previous health concerns.
A Goodyear police officer was placed on administrative leave after an audit found he may have improperly used the Flock system. The Glendale Police Department is leading the investigation into the potential criminal violation.
In Apache Junction, an officer who used the Flock system to track his wife resigned before he could be fired, according to the police chief.
In Surprise, a police officer was placed on administrative leave after an audit found the officer may have misused the Flock system.
Avondale, Buckeye, Gilbert, Glendale, Goodyear, Mesa and Queen Creek all said audits had not identified any instances of misuse.
Which agencies share with federal authorities?
Many departments, like Avondale, Chandler, Gilbert, Queen Creek and Tempe, do not share data with law enforcement agencies outside of Arizona.
Surprise did not share with federal agencies.
Glendale said its data is not part of any national ALPR database but added the system is used for Glendale investigations and to assist neighboring law enforcement agencies, police spokesperson Justin Ramsay said.
Mesa's police chief has restricted access to the department's data by outside agencies until it reviews those agencies' policies to "ensure the highest levels of protection of this data," Cervantes said. The city's website states that it does not share data with federal partners for immigration enforcement.
The Buckeye and Goodyear police departments may release Flock data to other law enforcement agencies for legitimate law enforcement purposes, department policies said.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: These metro Phoenix cities are using Flock cameras after audit fallout
