What did Oklahoma lawmakers discuss about Flock cameras?
News 9 reported that Oklahoma lawmakers held an interim study on Wednesday, Oct. 21, at the state capitol. Sen. Mary Boren, D-Norman, led the study, which examined whether automatic license plate readers could violate Oklahomans' constitutional right to privacy.
Boren asked whether the public knows how plate data is collected, stored, shared and searched. She said safeguards and accountability are needed to keep public trust in law enforcement. Law enforcement officials defended the cameras as a tool for developing leads in criminal cases.
How do police say Flock searches are controlled?
Russ Landon, police chief for The Village, told lawmakers that officers cannot search the system at random. Each search requires a case number, a reason and an officer's credentials. He also said the system runs audits to flag suspicious activity, which his department investigates.
Landon said The Village does not share Flock data with agencies outside Oklahoma. He did say sharing among Oklahoma departments matters because suspects move between neighboring communities.
How long is Flock data kept?
News 9 says Flock data is stored for seven days by default. It can be stored longer under state or local law, or when the data is tied to an active criminal investigation.
Landon said he is open to shorter retention periods. He warned that cutting the window too far could hurt cases, because detectives sometimes do not start working a case for days or weeks. News 9 does not state whether a change to the seven-day default is planned.
What changes for drivers?
The study was a discussion. The report does not describe a new law, rule or contract change, and it does not say any camera is being turned off or removed.
News 9 says the Oklahoma legislative session begins in February, when lawmakers could consider further action on license plate reader technology.
What should residents ask their local police?
- Who can search the cameras, and what paperwork does a search require?
- How long is plate data kept, and what triggers a longer hold?
- Which outside agencies can see the data?
- How often are audits run, and are the results public?
You can check which cameras are mapped near you on the camera map, and read how plate readers work before your next council meeting. Published transparency records for local agencies are listed on the agency page.
Next up: the Oklahoma legislative session begins in February, when lawmakers could take up license plate reader rules.