Flock Safety ALPR

Enhancing Community Safety with Cutting-Edge Technology

At the Parsons Police Department, our commitment to keeping our community safe is unwavering. We are proud to introduce the latest addition to our arsenal of crime-fighting tools: FLOCK Safety Automatic License Plate Readers (ALPR). These state-of-the-art devices represent a significant step forward in law enforcement technology, enabling us to better protect our citizens and enhance our ability to prevent and solve crimes.

What Are FLOCK Safety ALPRs?

FLOCK Safety ALPRs are advanced camera systems designed to automatically capture license plate information from vehicles passing through predetermined areas. Equipped with powerful image recognition algorithms, these devices swiftly identify license plates and provide law enforcement with critical data in real-time. This technology empowers our officers with the ability to quickly locate stolen vehicles, identify suspects, and respond effectively to emergencies.

Benefits of FLOCK Safety ALPRs:

Crime Prevention: By automatically scanning license plates, FLOCK Safety ALPRs act as a proactive deterrent to criminal activity, helping to prevent incidents before they occur.
Enhanced Investigations: The captured data provides valuable leads for ongoing investigations, aiding law enforcement in identifying suspects and gathering evidence.
Vehicle Recovery: With the ability to rapidly identify stolen vehicles, FLOCK Safety ALPRs significantly increase the chances of recovering stolen property and apprehending perpetrators.

Our Commitment to Privacy and Transparency:

At Parsons Police Department, we understand the importance of safeguarding individual privacy rights. Rest assured, the use of FLOCK Safety ALPRs is conducted in strict accordance with applicable laws and regulations. We are committed to transparency in our operations and welcome any inquiries regarding the deployment and use of this technology.

Join Us in Building a Safer Community:

We invite you to join us in harnessing the power of technology to create a safer, more secure environment for all residents of Parsons. With FLOCK Safety ALPRs, we are better equipped than ever to fulfill our mission of protecting and serving our community.

For more information about FLOCK Safety ALPRs or to learn how you can support our efforts, please contact the Parsons Police Department.

Together, let's build a brighter future, one plate at a time.

Here is the FLOCK Safety Transparency Portal to see what is captured by the FLOCK Camera System

Transparency Portal LINK

Parsons Police Department Automatic License Plate Reader Policy (ALPR) - all information contained in this PDF is listed below.

Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs)

427.1 PURPOSE AND SCOPE
The purpose of this policy is to provide guidance for the capture, storage and use of digital data obtained through the use of Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) technology.

427.2 POLICY
The policy of the Parsons Police Department is to utilize ALPR technology to capture and store digital license plate data and images while recognizing the established privacy rights of the public.
All data and images gathered by the ALPR are for the official use of this department. Because such data may contain confidential information, it is not open to public review.

427.3 ADMINISTRATION
The ALPR technology, also known as License Plate Recognition (LPR), allows for the automated detection of license plates. It is used by the Parsons Police Department to convert data associated with vehicle license plates for official law enforcement purposes, including identifying stolen or wanted vehicles, stolen license plates and missing persons. It may also be used to gather information related to active warrants, homeland security, electronic surveillance, suspect
interdiction and stolen property recovery.

All installation and maintenance of ALPR equipment, as well as ALPR data retention and access, shall be managed by the Administration Division Commander. The Administration Division Commander will assign members under his/her command to administer the day-to-day operation of the ALPR equipment and data.

427.4 OPERATIONS
Use of an ALPR is restricted to the purposes outlined below. Department members shall not use, or allow others to use, the equipment or database records for any unauthorized purpose.

An ALPR shall only be used for official law enforcement business.
An ALPR may be used in conjunction with any routine patrol operation or criminal investigation. Reasonable suspicion or probable cause is not required before using an ALPR.
While an ALPR may be used to canvass license plates around any crime scene, particular consideration should be given to using ALPR-equipped vehicles to canvass areas around homicides, shootings and other major incidents. Partial license plates
reported during major crimes should be entered into the ALPR system in an attempt to identify suspect vehicles.
No member of this department shall operate ALPR equipment or access ALPR data without first completing department-approved training.(e) No ALPR operator may access confidential department, state or federal data unless authorized to do so.
If practicable, the officer should verify an ALPR response through the appropriate official law enforcement database before taking enforcement action that is based solely on an ALPR alert.

427.5 DATA COLLECTION AND RETENTION
The Administration Division Commander is responsible for ensuring systems and processes are in place for the proper collection and retention of ALPR data. Data will be transferred from vehicles to the designated storage in accordance with department procedures.

All stored ALPR data is maintained by FLOCK for 30 days and is then destroyed unless a specific file haas been retained as part of an ongoing police department investigation. In that case it will be retained in accordance with the established records retention schedule. Thereafter, ALPR data should be purged unless it has become, or it is reasonable to believe it will become, evidence
in a criminal or civil action or is subject to a discovery request or other lawful action to produce records. In those circumstances, the applicable data should be downloaded onto portable media
and booked into evidence.

427.6 ACCOUNTABILITY
All data will be closely safeguarded and protected by both procedural and technological means. The Parsons Police Department will observe the following safeguards regarding access to and
use of stored data:

All ALPR data downloaded to the mobile workstation and in storage shall be accessible only through a login/password-protected system capable of documenting all access of information by name, date and time.
Members approved to access ALPR data under these guidelines are permitted to access the data for legitimate law enforcement purposes only, such as when the data relate to a specific criminal investigation or department-related civil or administrative
action.

427.7 RELEASING ALPR DATA
The ALPR data may be shared only with other law enforcement or prosecutorial agencies for official law enforcement purposes or as otherwise permitted by law, using the following procedures:

The agency makes a written request for the ALPR data that includes:
1. The name of the agency.
2. The name of the person requesting.
3. The intended purpose of obtaining the information.
The request is reviewed by the Administration Division Commander or the authorized designee and approved before the request is fulfilled.
The approved request is retained on file.

Requests for ALPR data by non-law enforcement or non-prosecutorial agencies will be processed as provided in the Records Maintenance and Release Policy.