Federal law enforcement agencies improperly accessed data generated by the Flock automated license plate reader system in Mountain View without the police department’s permission or knowledge, the city government said in a statement.
Flock cameras take hundreds of pictures a second of license plates. When a computer stitches the pictures together, it is able to provide information on the daily travels of average citizens, including those not suspected of any crime.
When Mountain View City Council approved the installation of Flock cameras in May 2024, police said the system would help them investigate car break-ins and home burglaries. Police promised they would follow strict protocols to protect privacy and prevent federal agencies from accessing the city’s Flock data.
In a press release issued late Friday, the city acknowledged that its system was accessed by:
• Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives offices in Kentucky and Tennessee, which investigate crimes related to guns, explosives, arson and the illegal trafficking of alcohol and tobacco;
• the inspector general’s office of the U.S.. General Services Administration, which manages federal buildings, procurement, and property;
• Air Force bases in Langley, Va., and in Ohio;
• and the Lake Mead National Recreation Area in Nevada.
The city said the agencies accessed data August to November 2024 without the police department’s permission or knowledge.
The city said the data hadn’t been accessed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which was the fear of residents in 2024 when the Flock system was approved.
The city said the federal agencies accessed Mountain View’s information because a setting on the Flock equipment had been set incorrectly. The city blamed Flock.
But Flock spokeswoman Holly Beilin said the settings “are always under the control of the agency.”
“We are proud of the positive impact Mountain View PD has made with our technology and we hope to resolve the concerns of the Police Department directly with them,” Beilin said in an email to the Post.
The issue will go to the city council. According to the press release, city employees are seeing if there are other companies besides Flock that “offer similar capabilities and a stronger track record of data protection, oversight, and transparency.”
Other cities with Flock cameras include Palo Alto, Menlo Park, Redwood City, Los Altos, Belmont, Burlingame, San Mateo, Woodside and Campbell. The San Mateo County Sheriff and Santa Clara County Sheriff also have Flock cameras.
The cities and sheriff’s offices pay to use Flock cameras. Mountain View City Council approved a contract with Flock to install 24 automatic license plate reader cameras, with an estimated cost of $96,800 for the first year and approximately $80,000 to $90,000 annually thereafter.
A very predictable outcome. Shame on the Mtn. View council for falling for these lies from police.
Does anyone else find it incredibly amazing that after the police department failed to follow strict protocols and protect privacy, only the federal agencies accessed this data? Clearly this is a hit job on thefeds. Why hasn’t someone been fired for this? Maybe start with the police chief for failing to monitor and manage a system they were responsible for.