TV6 Investigates: Metro Flock cameras logging millions of vehicles a month

BETTENDORF, Iowa (KWQC) — Drive through Bettendorf and there is a good chance a Flock camera is recording your vehicle. The city has 65 of the cameras mounted on poles across town, scanning every car that passes.

In a recent 30-day period, Bettendorf’s cameras logged more than 10.3 million vehicle detections, according to data obtained by TV6 Investigates.

Police ran 233 searches through that data, checking plates against a “hot list” of 11,537 vehicles already tied to crimes, Amber Alerts or other law enforcement interests.

Bettendorf has, by far, the most cameras of any city in the Quad-Cities area. By comparison, Davenport has 10 cameras that logged 251,044 detections and 291 searches in a month. Its hot list has 6,936 cars.

TV6 Investigates invited all five metro police departments to sit-down interviews to discuss their Flock systems and the data. They all declined.

How it works

Once a car is detected by a Flock camera, its information goes into a database that departments can share with others around the country. That sharing is the basis of Flock Safety’s network, which connects thousands of cities and dozens of states, instantly sharing plate data.

The cameras can detect license plates, but also bumper stickers and even dings.

Proponents say the technology helps solve crimes faster and find missing people. But critics say it amounts to an overreaching government surveillance network that’s easily abused.

David Stoner, who runs a local group opposed to the cameras, said the technology raises concerns about oversight.

“People have legitimate, serious concerns about how the data is being used, who has access to it, instances of these cameras being used for stalking ex-partners and things like that,” Stoner said. “And then when those concerns are raised to local officials, the answer is kind of, well, ‘we hear you, but we’re not going to change anything.’”

Rafael Mangual of the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research said any database has the potential to be abused, comparing Flock data to DMV records, but said Flock is adopting better safeguards.

“So this is not a new problem,” Mangual said. “And I think that Flock has been probably more responsible than lots of other companies that offer some of these investigative services in terms of putting into place systems that will catch people who abuse the system and ensure that they’re caught.”

Authorities say that wasn’t enough to stop one Whiteside County sheriff’s deputy from allegedly inappropriately searching the Flock system. That deputy is now under investigation, the sheriff announced Wednesday, and the department is no longer allowing its deputies to access Flock data.

Some cities dropping the cameras

Growing public frustration is already changing policy. Moline announced last week it is taking down its nine Flock cameras amid public outcry. Other area agencies that have recently dropped Flock include Sterling, Galva and Henry County, Illinois.

Dana Cosman, a Bettendorf visitor, was surprised to hear Bettendorf had so many cameras. He said the technology carries both benefits and risks.

“It’s scary cool. Put it that way,” Cosman said. “Because it’s neat, but very dangerous, depending on how you use it.”