The City released additional information regarding the proposed Automatic License Plate Readers (ALPR). According to the Communications & External Affairs Manager Katherine Murphy, the following procedures will be in place regarding the usage of this technology and the data collected:
- ALPRS take still images, not video, on public roadways. They work during daytime and nighttime hours;
- They are designed to capture and examine data that is [allegedly] unbiased and objective. They are not designed to capture faces or images of the driver/passengers, therefore profiling vehicles based on race is not a concern;
- ALPRS take a photo of the vehicle license plate and use machine learning to decode the image and make it searchable for make, model, color and plate number;
- ALPR data is stored in a AWS Government Cloud Server (FBI CJIS compliant), encrypted, for a maximum of 30 days.
- If a case is generated, the capture will be downloaded to the corresponding criminal case
- Data is not sold or monetized by FLOCK or BPD
- ALPR data would be exempt from FOIA
- Captured data is automatically cross-indexed with FBI NCIC data on stolen vehicles, missing persons bulletins, Silver Alerts (lost elderly persons), Amber Alerts (missing endangered youth), sending alerts to BPD when matches are found.
- BPD claims it will not be using FLOCK ALPRS for traffic violations, citation, etc
- BPD claims it will limit FLOCK ALPRS use to missing persons investigations and major crimes (homicides, shootings, robberies, arson, sexual assaults, burglaries, aggravated batteries, stolen cars, etc.). BPD’s use will also be controlled by existing state, federal law and implementation of a strong departmental policy.
- As with some of our other technologies, “hits” generated from FLOCK will require additional validation from a command officer before any enforcement action is taken.
- Data from the system can be shared, at our discretion, with other Illinois law enforcement agencies. FLOCK currently has 64 agencies in Illinois using the system including Champaign County Sheriff’s Office(SO), Pekin Police Dept.(PD), Springfield PD, Decatur PD, West Peoria PD, Kankakee PD and Grundy County SO. Peoria and Champaign are in the contract signing phase of the project.
- Data will only be shared with other local agencies.
- At no time is ALPR data shared with any non-law enforcement group or agency.
- BPD’s proposed installation sites are evenly spread around the city. Installation sites are the result of violent crime analysis in areas impacted by violent crimes. They include areas of Clearwater Ave./Hershey Rd., Prospect Rd./Empire, N. Hinshaw/W. Market, Oakland Ave./Four Seasons Rd., Eldorado Rd./Arcadia Dr., S. Main (51)/I55 Interchange, N. Main St./N. East St (downtown), W. Market/Morris Ave., N. Center/Graham St., W. Washington/N. Morris Ave. This ties directly to BPD’s Strategic Plan: Reduce Crime and Fear of Crime, Improve the Quality of Life in Neighborhoods, and Maintain Advances in Law Enforcement Technology.
- BPD’s policy will require our agency to publish (monthly), the FLOCK ALPR usage logs to the BPD Transparency Portal on the BPD website. BPD will be one of the first to stand-up a transparency portal. In addition, misuse will not be tolerated and internal audits of BPD usage will be in place.
- BPD gave several examples of the alleged success of use of ALPR data:
- FLOCK ALPR data from a partner agency was used in a 2021 homicide. BPD located a suspect vehicle in another city after it passed a FLOCK camera installation. This was instrumental in the investigation.
- In another 2021 homicide, BPD utilized ALPR data from another local agency to rule out a suspect in the case. This proved extraordinarily valuable in the case.
- In 2021, partner agency, Rantoul PD, utilized their FLOCK ALPR data to make an arrest in a shooting in an attempted murder case that was tied to an Urbana, IL homicide. Using the ALPR, the vehicle/suspects were located in under 15 minutes.
