St. Pete police chief defends Flock license cameras

Let's get to the firestorm now over those flock cameras. Law enforcement says the automated license plate reading cameras give officers a valuable tool in investigations. But critics argue that they're an invasion of privacy. Yeah, and tonight St. Pete's police chief is weighing in on it. FOX 13's Kaylee Tracy has his point of view. St. Pete started using flock cameras in 2021 and today there are 50 of them across the city. Skeptics say they're uncomfortable with the surveillance and worry about where the flock data is going. But St. Pete police chief Anthony Holloway says the cameras photograph vehicles and license plates, not people. He says the technology helps officers find missing people, recover stolen cars and solve major crimes. Just last month, the cameras helped track down the vehicle of a suspect accused of shooting and killing a city employee. Still with 50 cameras watching the roads, the chief knows it's a tough sell. But a lot of people are going to still think that we're out there monitoring people. We're not monitoring people. We're monitoring incidents that would happen that we can use this for. I'm not going to convince everybody of that. But what I can tell you is from St. Petersburg Police Department is we want to use this so we can continue to make our city safer. We want to make sure that when you call in and you tell a crime has occurred, that we use every tool in our toolbox. To ensure accountability, flock and St. Pete police only store the information for 30 days. Officers must provide a report number or a valid reason to access the system. The department also conducts random monthly audits on officers' computers and phones. If someone is caught looking up a plate for personal reasons, the chief says they could be fired. When it comes to sharing data with other agencies, Chief Holloway says the requesting sheriff or chief must send a formal letter explaining exactly why they need it. Flock also notes that data sharing is disabled by default and only the local agency can turn it on. Kaylee Tracy, FOX 13 News.