CNN reported that Atlanta police audited their license plate reader searches after the mayor asked for a review. The audit flagged 79 Flock searches as possibly questionable, and those searches are still under investigation.
What did the Atlanta audit find?
- Period covered: January to early September
- Share of Flock searches flagged as questionable: 0.07%
- Searches now being double-checked for a possible policy violation: 79
The percentage is small, but 79 searches still need someone to check them. In September, Atlanta police revised their ALPR policy. The changes clarify when officers can search the Flock database, define prohibited searches, set potential criminal and administrative penalties for misuse, and require monthly compliance audits.
Does this change what happens to my plate?
The changes apply to Atlanta's police department. The reporting does not describe any change that would stop plates from being scanned in other places. Cameras run by neighboring cities, counties, the state, businesses and homeowners associations stay where they are. Those users are not covered by Atlanta's policy.
Atlanta does not take part in Flock's transparency portal, and the city does not publish how many plate readers it has or where they are. Police did not say why. You can check cameras near you on the camera map, and see published transparency records for other agencies on the agencies page. DeFlock, a crowdsourcing site, estimates more than 6,000 plate readers in a 29-county area around Atlanta. That estimate counts both Flock and non-Flock devices.
What happens next with Atlanta's rules?
A city council panel is reviewing a citywide ALPR policy proposal. The proposal includes restrictions on who can access the database. The reporting does not give a meeting date for the panel.
Flock says it will require police to enter a case number to justify each search by January 1. Emergency searches can override that requirement. Under Georgia law, misusing plate reader data is an aggravated misdemeanor. For background on how these systems work, read how plate readers work.