Flock Safety - Tompkins County NY Sheriff's Office Transparency Portal

Overview

The Tompkins County Sheriff's Office utilizes Flock Safety technology to support criminal investigations by capturing objective evidence while maintaining a commitment to individual privacy. The system's retroactive search capabilities allow investigators to review vehicle data after a crime has occurred, aiding in the resolution of ongoing cases. We have also installed Flock gunshot detection devices within the City of Ithaca. In addition, the Sheriff's Office uses Flock's real-time alerting features to notify deputies when a vehicle associated with a missing person, kidnapping, AMBER Alert, Silver Alert, wanted individual, or a subject of an active criminal investigation is detected by a license plate reader. To ensure responsible use, the Sheriff's Office has implemented a departmental policy that outlines approved procedures and explicitly prohibits misuse. Furthermore, we are committed to transparency by making usage statistics publicly available. The Tompkins County Sheriff's Office does not participate in Flock's National Search function. Access to our system is restricted to county and municipal law enforcement agencies within New York State that have an active contract with Flock Safety, and do not hold 287g agreements.

Policies

What's Detected

License Plates, Vehicles

What's Not Detected

Facial recognition, People, Gender, Race

Acceptable Use Policy

Data is used for law enforcement purposes only. Data is owned by Tompkins County, NY, Sheriff's Office and is never sold to 3rd parties.

Prohibited Uses

Immigration enforcement, violation-level traffic enforcement, harassment or intimidation, usage based solely on a protected class (i.e. race, sex, religion), Personal use.

Access Policy

All system access requires a unique login identification and password, an associated case #, and documented reason that does not include overly broad descriptions such as 'suspicious. Audit trails are maintained indefinitely

Hotlist Policy

Hotlist hits are required to be human verified prior to action.

Usage

Data retention (in days)

30 days

Hotlists Alerted On

NCIC, NCMEC Amber Alert, NY Suspended Tags

Unique vehicles detected in the last 30 days

184,836

Hotlist hits in the last 30 days

5,036

Searches in the last 30 days

External organizations with access

Albany City NY PD, Albany County NY SO, Amherst Town NY PD, Auburn NY PD, Baldwinsville Central School District Inc NY , Batavia NY PD, Beacon City NY PD, Binghamton City NY PD, Brookville NY PD, Buffalo State University NY PD, CAC - Erie NY, CAC - Hudson Valley NY, CAC - Mohawk Valley NY, CAC - Monroe NY, CAC - Niagara Intelligence NY, CAC - North Country NY, CAC - Suffolk County NY, CAC- Central NY, Camillus Town/Village NY PD, Canton Village NY PD, Cayuga Heights Village NY PD, Centre Island Village NY PD, Chautauqua County NY District Attorney's Office, Cheektowaga Town NY PD, Cicero Town NY PD, Clarkstown NY PD , Colonie NY PD, Columbia County NY SO, Cornell University NY PD, Crawford Town NY PD, Depew NY PD, Dewitt Town NY PD, Dutchess County NY District Attorney's (DA) Office , Dutchess County NY SO, East Hampton Village NY PD, Elmira City NY PD, Erie County NY SO, Fallsburg Town NY PD, Fishkill Town NY PD, Freeport Village NY PD, Garden City NY PD, Geddes Town NY PD, Genesee County NY SO, Glen Cove NY PD, Greenport Town NY PD, Guilderland NY PD , Hamburg Town NY PD, Hamburg Village NY PD, Hempstead Village NY PD, Homer Village NY PD, Hudson NY PD, Huntington Bay NY PD, Hyde Park NY PD, Inc Village of Lake Success NY, Irondequoit PD NY, Ithaca City NY PD, Kenmore Village NY PD, Lackawanna City NY PD, Lancaster NY PD, Lewisboro Town NY PD, Liberty Village NY PD, Lynbrook Village NY PD, Middletown NY PD, Muttontown NY PD, New Hartford Town NY PD, New Windsor Town NY PD, New York State Police NY, Newburgh City NY PD, Niagara Falls City NY PD, Niagara Frontier Transit Authority (NFTA) PD, NYS Crime Analysis Center Network, Old Westbury Village NY PD, Onondaga County DA Office, Onondaga County NY SO , Orleans County NY SO, Owego Village NY PD, Plattekill Town NY PD, Poughkeepsie City NY PD, Quogue Village NY PD, Sag Harbor Village NY PD, Saint Johnsville Village NY PD, Saranac Lake Village NY PD, Saratoga County NY SO, Saratoga Springs NY PD, Scarsdale Village NY PD, Scotia Village NY PD, Solvay Village NY PD, Southold Town NY PD, Suffolk County District Attorney's Office NY, Suffolk County NY PD, Suffolk County NY SO, SUNY Binghamton Campus NY PD, SUNY Old Westbury NY PD, SUNY-Onondaga Community College Campus NY PD, Syracuse NY PD, Syracuse-Hancock Intl Airport NY, Tonawanda Town NY PD, Town of East Fishkill NY PD, Town of Newburgh NY PD, Town of Poughkeepsie NY PD, Town of Woodbury NY PD, Troy NY PD, Trumansburg Village NY PD, Ulster Town NY PD, Utica City NY PD, Vestal Town NY PD, Wappingers Falls Village NY PD, Warwick Town NY PD, Watertown NY PD [deactivated], Watervliet NY PD, West Seneca NY PD, Westchester County NY DPS, Westhampton Beach Village NY PD

Number of LPR and other cameras

Additional Info

Apprehension of Stolen Vehicle & Stabbing Suspect

On September 23, 2025, at approximately 8:00 p.m., a Tompkins County Sheriff's Deputy, while assigned to a joint Gun Involved Violence Elimination (GIVE) detail received a Flock Safety alert of a stolen Chevrolet Silverado out of Rochester, NY entering the City of Ithaca. Deputies and Ithaca Police Officers located the vehicle in the parking lot of a restaurant on Elmira Road in the City of Ithaca. When law enforcement activated their emergency lights and ordered the driver to exit, the suspect attempted to flee by reversing the truck but was blocked in by other vehicles. He then fled on foot but was quickly apprehended. Further investigation revealed that the suspect had an active felony warrant from the Monroe County Sheriff's Office and pending charges from the Rochester Police Department related to his alleged involvement in the stabbing of two victims earlier that day.

Missing Cortland Man Safely Located by Tompkins County Deputies with Assistance from Flock Safety Technology

Lansing, NY - September 1, 2025 At approximately 9:13 AM, Tompkins County Sheriff's Deputies were alerted by Flock Safety Automated License Plate Recognition (ALPR) cameras that a vehicle connected to a missing person case from Cortland County had just been detected in North Lansing. The vehicle had been entered into the Flock system during the previous shift by the on-duty TCSO Sergeant, as the Sheriff's Office was assisting the Cortland County Sheriff's Office in locating the missing 92-year-old male. Deputies quickly intercepted the vehicle and conducted a stop in the parking lot of the Mirabito Gas Station at 32 Peruville Road, Lansing. They confirmed that the driver was indeed the missing Cortland man, who appeared confused and stated he had been driving all night in an attempt to return home. Deputies coordinated with the Cortland County Sheriff's Office to ensure the safe return of the man to his residence in Cortland. "This case highlights how technology, when paired with strong collaboration between agencies, can bring about safe and successful outcomes," said Sheriff Derek Osborne.

Additional Info - Automated License Plate Recognition Systems Policy

https://public.powerdms.com/TompkinsSheriff/documents/3077820