The Richland Police Department, along with hundreds of other agencies across the country, is using Flock Automatic License Plate Readers (ALPRs) to help detect and reduce crime in our community. Flock ALPRs are stationary ALPR cameras located within municipal rights-of-way. They are powered by solar panels and send image information through government-standard encrypted cell signals to a secure third-party database. The ALPRs capture objective evidence without compromising on individual privacy. The Richland Police Department utilizes retroactive (after-the-fact) searches of the Flock camera data to solve crimes. Additionally, the Richland Police Department utilizes real-time alerting of hotlist vehicles to capture wanted criminals and missing endangered children and adults. Access to the information captured by the City's Flock camera system is limited to a law enforcement-related "need-to-know" basis.
Policies
What's Detected
Rear license plates, rear of vehicle
What's Not Detected
Facial recognition, people, gender, race
Acceptable Use Policy
Data is used for law enforcement purposes only. Data is owned by the City of Richland WA PD and is never sold to 3rd parties.
Prohibited Uses
Traffic enforcement, immigration enforcement, harassment or intimidation, usage based solely on a protected class (i.e. race, sex, religion), or personal use.
Access Policy
All system access requires a valid reason and is stored indefinitely and only by authorized law enforcement personnel.
Hotlist Policy
Hotlist hits (i.e., stolen vehicles, missing persons, etc.) are required to be human verified prior to action.
Usage
Data retention (in days)
30 days
Number of owned cameras
10
Hotlists Alerted On
NCIC, NCMEC Amber Alert
Vehicles detected in the last 30 days
249,425
Hotlist hits in the last 30 days
258
Additional Info
Link to Richland Police Department's Lexipol Policy
