Whether or not Flock Safety cameras play a role in eventually identifying the hit-and-run vehicle in Wednesday’s fatal collision on Briggs Road, the debate about such cameras in Menifee will surely continue.
Readers of Menifee 24/7 have been vocal on Facebook posts since the publication of a previous news article quoting Menifee Police Chief Dave Gutierrez in explaining how license plate reader systems work.
Speaking again to Menifee 24/7 on Friday, Gutierrez said he is aware of the published accounts of misuse of the system by some in other law enforcement agencies. Although the Flock system records only license plate numbers as well as the make, model and color of vehicles and has no facial recognition or tracking capability, there have been accounts of officers in other cities using that information for nefarious purposes.
“Abuses have drawn widespread attention,” according to an Associated Press report published in Friday’s Riverside Press-Enterprise. “The Washington Post reported earlier this month finding nearly 50 instances of police officers charged or accused of using the cameras for unauthorized purposes, many for tracking current or former romantic partners or family members.”
Gutierrez said it’s unfortunate that, because of the misuse of the system by a minority of law enforcement personnel, the system is receiving such criticsm. Some Menifee residents have gone so far as to say that they refuse to vote for any City Council candidate who voices support of Menifee PD’s Flock camera enforcement system.
“Of course when some people misuse it, they have to be held accountable,” he said. “In Menifee, that is not tolerated.”
Gutierrez repeated to this reporter the information reported in our previous news article about the restrictions built into the City’s license plate reader system. All that the cameras record is movement in front of them, which shows the appearance of the vehicle and the license plate number. No other identifying information is accessible.
In order for police officers to use even that limited amount of information, they must have a case number for an ongoing investigation to look for a suspect vehicle.
The information is not shared with the parent Flock company, Gutierrez said. It is stored for 30 days in the Menifee PD system and then automatically deleted. It is not possible for a person to get an account anywhere online to access the images, even though some residents have stated as such.
Gutierrez said the investigation into the death of 15-year-old e-motorcycle rider Koa Quintanilla Aug. 12 is ongoing. As with any aspect of the investigation, the process is complicated.
“First, we have to have a case number for an ongoing investigation, such as felony hit and run, to make a search,” he said in reference to such cases. “Then we can go on and ask the system to show any white vehicle with front-end damage on this date in a certain time period before and after the incident. We may get five investigative leads that we can then follow up on.”
Gutierrez said he could not comment on specifics of the investigation about the Aug. 12 fatal hit and run.
So even while it might seem unfair for residents to judge City Council candidates on their views of the Flock system alone, it is true that the national debate continues and some changes in the system are being considered nationally.
The Associated Press article previously mentioned states that Flock has announced changes in response to public concern about the system. Users must implement an audit tool that monitors search behavior. In addition, the retention window for images will be reduced from 30 days to seven.
Gutierrez said MPD’s system already has an audit system in place.
“Even if we see a car that matches the description from a crime alert, we can’t make an arrest based on that,” he said. “We still have to conduct an investigation.”
Information about Menifee’s Automated License Plate Reader system can be found at the following link:
https://menifeepolice.org/automated-licesnse-plate-reader, ASuhg
