Flock cameras spark debate over public safety and privacy in Southeast Idaho
Maile Sipraseuth
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI)– As Southeast Idaho continues to grow, so do the appearances of Flock cameras. With that, a growing debate is emerging over how much surveillance is acceptable in the name of public safety.
According to Flock website, Flock cameras are solar-powered automated license plate readers. They also record different types of vehicle characteristics such as make, model and color of a car. They’re typically used by police departments, municipalities, and private communities.
Sgt. Bryan Lovell from the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office claims that Flock cameras are no different than an officer taking down information with a pen and paper.
“I know it since they’ve been in Idaho (it’s) been a factor in a lot of those cases where it’s narrowed down a search, it’s eliminated people as possible involvement or suspect activity in that, it’s narrowed down suspects and information and helps us kind of, narrow down a search for someone that might be involved in a crime,” Lovell said.
According to Sgt. Lovell, that data is only accessible by the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office, and data can only be shared with other agencies in the case of investigation purposes.
But not everyone is convinced, some Idahoans are concerned about who can access the data.
“This idea of tracking people, and the government surveilling us versus just having a camera like we have in our town. But when you change trying to protect an area or secure the playground from vandalism, and then you shifted from that into tracking people to the point of all their comings and goings. I think that that takes a significant shift in what our purposes of protecting people versus surveilling people,” Tyler Cain, a member of DeFlock Idaho, said.
Cain argues the technology goes beyond reading license plates.
“If you’re taking a picture of a car with a license plate, you can still see through the windshield so you can see who’s driving. It’s not they’re not only tracking license plates,” Cain said.
Sgt. Lovell says these cameras do not collect biometric or personal device information.
“They don’t collect biometrics or anybody’s mobile device information. It collects basically the same things that anybody in the public can see on a vehicle out with their eyes,” Sgt. Lovell said.
As Southeast Idaho continues to install flock cameras, the debate is likely to continue. The question comes down to where the line should be drawn between public safety and personal privacy.
To see a map of Flock cameras near you, visit HERE.