WTOP carried a CNN report that Atlanta police revised how officers use Flock plate reader data after an audit flagged 79 searches as possibly questionable. Flock is based in Atlanta, so the city's changes are happening in the company's home market.
The audit covered January through early September. Atlanta police said 0.07% of their Flock searches in that period were questionable. That still amounts to 79 inquiries being double-checked for a possible violation of policy.
Some of the possibly questionable uses are under investigation, according to the CNN report. The report doesn't say how those reviews will end.
What changed in Atlanta's police rules?
Atlanta police revised their ALPR policy by September. The changes include:
- Clearer rules on when officers can search the Flock database
- Defined prohibited searches
- Possible criminal and administrative penalties for misuse
- Monthly compliance audits
A citywide ALPR policy proposal is now before a city council panel. It includes restrictions on who can access the database.
What changes for drivers?
The Atlanta police rules apply to Atlanta police. The report says homeowners associations and businesses also use these systems. Nothing in the report changes cameras run by those groups or by neighboring cities and counties. The report doesn't describe any Flock camera in Atlanta being turned off.
Flock is reducing its standard data retention window from 30 days to seven. Data can be kept longer if police attach it to a case number. Flock says users will have to accept new guardrails by January 1, including a case number to justify each search. That requirement can be overridden in emergencies.
Can a plate reader flag the wrong car?
The report includes one such case. On May 3, Dunwoody and Doraville officers stopped Alex Wittlin while looking for a different man. Police said Wittlin's car, not the suspect's, was the one spotted on a Flock camera. He was released after an officer confirmed he wasn't the suspect.
Flock CEO Garrett Langley told CNN he expects regulation to end up varying state by state. Under Georgia law, misusing license plate reader data is an aggravated misdemeanor.
The next fixed date in the reporting is January 1, when Flock's new requirements are due. To see where cameras are mapped near you, check the camera map. For how these systems work, read how plate readers work.