Pixinooo / Depositphotos.com
CONLEY COMMENTARY (WSAU) – It’s unusual for me to be undecided about a public policy issue. I am undecided about Wausau PD’s use of Flock cameras.
Flock is a private company. They operate thousands of license plate reading cameras around the country. In many cases they partner with police departments. In other communities, they gather tremendous amounts of information about passing vehicles for their own national data base. It’s often used by federal law enforcement, like the FBI.
Let me tell you what Flock isn’t – it isn’t an invasion of your privacy. Everything that’s done in public, like you driving your car down the road, isn’t private. If you were to set up a camera outside your home and you recorded the license plate of every car that passes outside, that’s legal. We have no expectation of privacy outside our homes.
Wausau PD has released a memo on how they use Flock. They clear the data every 30 days, so there is no permanent record of your comings and goings. Flock has been useful to police. It helps track down cars being driven by criminals. It helps identify vehicles involved in hit-and-runs. It reduces the number of high speed chases that police are involved in. All of that is a legitimate law enforcement use.
I do have some obvious red lines. Police officers who use Flock illegally should be fired. Not suspended, fired, immediately. There are at least three cases in Wisconsin where officers have used Flock to track ex-girlfriends and estranged wives.
I suppose my concern about Flock in Wausau is that there’s been very little public discussion about it. Most drivers don’t know it exists or what it’s used for.
So, if this is new information to you, I’m telling you now. In Wausau there are 20 Flock cameras in use. They keep a record of your license plate every time you drive past. How do you feel about that? You may want to let Wausau’s Police and Fire commission know.
Chris Conley
Comments