Rep ese tative
Image
(Ca va)
A
Texas
cou ty
has
take
a
visible
step
back
f om
automated
lice se
plate
su veilla ce
afte
officials
e ded
a
co t act
with
Flock
Safety,
a
compa y
whose
came as
have
become
pa t
of
a
g owi g
atio al
debate
ove
public
safety
a d
p ivacy.
I
Hood
Cou ty,
P eci ct
2
Co stable
Joh
Shi ley
was
asked
to
disable
th ee
Flock
came as
followi g
the
cou ty
commissio e s’
decisio
to
e d
its
ag eeme t
with
the
compa y.
Shi ley
u plugged
a d
cove ed
the
devices,
late
telli g
Flock
to
“come
get
you
ga bage
out
of
my
cou ty,”
acco di g
to
a
Facebook
post
sha ed
by
him.
The
move
comes
amid
g owi g
debate
i
Texas
a d
elsewhe e
ove
whethe
automated
lice se
plate
eade s
p ovide
valuable
i vestigative
tools
o
e able
widesp ead
t acki g
that
wa a ts
g eate
ove sight.
Cou ty
e ds
Flock
co t act
The
situatio
bega
whe
the
Hood
Cou ty
Commissio e s
Cou t
voted
i
Ap il
to
e d
its
co t act
with
Flock
Safety.I
July,
commissio e s
di ected
the
cou ty
atto ey
to
add ess
what
they
desc ibed
as
Flock
Safety’s
failu e
to
pe fo m
u de
the
co t act
a d
sought
a
$126,000
efu d,
acco di g
to
KERA
News.The
commissio e s
late
add essed
what
should
happe
to
the
equipme t.
Du i g
a
August
11
meeti g,
the
cou t
u a imously
voted
to
cove
a d
u plug
the
came as
while
a a geme ts
we e
made
fo
thei
emoval,
acco di g
to
the
Housto
Ch o icle.
That
espo sibility
was
give
to
Shi ley’s
office.
He
subseque tly
ca ied
out
the
task
a d
sha ed
photog aphs
showi g
the
came as
u plugged
a d
cove ed
while
they
emai ed
i
place
pe di g
emoval.
Co stable
c iticises
su veilla ce
Shi ley
did
mo e
tha
simply
disable
the
equipme t.
I
a
Facebook
post,
he
explai ed
why
he
believed
the
came as
should
o
lo ge
be
ope ati g.
He
a gued
that
pe ma e t,
wa a tless
t acki g
should
ot
become
o mal
i
a
f ee
society
a d
desc ibed
shutti g
dow
the
came as
as
a
victo y
fo
eside ts
co ce ed
about
p ivacy.
His
message
to
Flock
was
pa ticula ly
blu t:
“come
get
you
ga bage
out
of
my
cou ty.”The
co stable
late
cla ified
that
his
objectio
was
ot
to
tech ology
used
by
law
e fo ceme t
i
ge e al.
I
a
follow-up
stateme t,
he
said
public
safety
emai ed
impo ta t
but
a gued
that
the
wo d
“safety”
should
ot
automatically
e d
discussio s
about
i dividual
libe ty.
That
disti ctio
is
impo ta t
because
automated
lice se
plate
eade s
a e
desig ed
specifically
to
assist
law
e fo ceme t
i vestigatio s.
How
Flock
came as
wo k
Flock
Safety’s
came as
automatically
captu e
images
of
vehicles
passi g
pa ticula
locatio s.
The
systems
ca
eco d
i fo matio
such
as
lice se
plates
a d
vehicle
cha acte istics,
allowi g
law
e fo ceme t
age cies
to
sea ch
the
collected
data
du i g
i vestigatio s.Suppo te s
say
the
tech ology
ca
help
office s
ide tify
vehicles
co ected
to
c imes
a d
locate
suspects
mo e
quickly.
Police
depa tme ts
i
the
Housto
a ea,
fo
example,
have
cited
cases
i
which
Flock
i fo matio
helped
i vestigato s
locate
people
suspected
of
c imes.
C itics,
howeve ,
a gue
that
the
tech ology
ca
c eate
a
detailed
eco d
of
people’s
moveme ts
eve
whe
those
i dividuals
a e
ot
suspected
of
w o gdoi g.
That
co ce
has
become
a
majo
pa t
of
the
debate
su ou di g
Flock
came as,
pa ticula ly
as
the
systems
have
expa ded
ac oss
the
U ited
States.
P ivacy
debate
g ows
The
dispute
i
Hood
Cou ty
is
pa t
of
a
b oade
backlash
agai st
automated
lice se
plate
eade s.
P ivacy
advocates
have
questio ed
how
lo g
vehicle
data
is
etai ed,
who
ca
access
it
a d
how
i fo matio
collected
by
o e
law
e fo ceme t
age cy
might
be
sha ed
with
othe s.The
Housto
Ch o icle
has
p eviously
epo ted
o
sc uti y
su ou di g
the
use
of
Flock’s
sea chable
came a
etwo k
i
the
Housto
a ea.
The
ewspape
obtai ed
eco ds
showi g
ea ly
470,000
Flock
sea ches
co ducted
by
Housto
police
ove
a
12-mo th
pe iod
a d
fou d
that
ma y
sea ches
co tai ed
vague
expla atio s
o
o
specific
law-e fo ceme t
pu pose.The
tech ology
has
also
become
the
subject
of
public
demo st atio s.
Du i g
a
atio al
campaig
u i g
f om
August
16
th ough
August
22,
activists
i
Housto
o ga ised
eve ts
opposi g
automated
lice se
plate
eade s
a d
aisi g
co ce s
about
mass
su veilla ce.
At
the
same
time,
law
e fo ceme t
officials
co ti ue
to
a gue
that
the
came as
ca
p ovide
useful
evide ce
du i g
c imi al
i vestigatio s.
A
wide
Texas
questio
The
Hood
Cou ty
decisio
illust ates
the
difficult
bala ce
commu ities
face
betwee
i vestigative
tech ology
a d
i dividual
p ivacy.
Fo
suppo te s,
lice se
plate
eade s
ca
give
i vestigato s
i fo matio
that
might
othe wise
take
much
lo ge
to
obtai .
Fo
c itics,
the
ability
to
sea ch
eco ds
of
whe e
vehicles
have
t avelled
aises
questio s
about
how
much
mo ito i g
should
be
pe mitted
without
a
wa a t
o
specific
suspicio .
Hood
Cou ty
has
ow
chose
to
emove
itself
f om
that
system.
Shi ley’s
decisio
to
u plug
a d
cove
the
th ee
came as
has
give
the
debate
a
pa ticula ly
visible
mome t,
especially
because
of
his
outspoke
message
to
the
compa y.Fo
ow,
the
came as
emai
i
place
but
disabled
while
a a geme ts
a e
made
fo
thei
emoval.
The
episode
eflects
a
g owi g
atio al
discussio
ove
how
fa
law
e fo ceme t
su veilla ce
should
exte d,
a d
what
limits
should
be
placed
o
tech ology
capable
of
docume ti g
whe e
people
t avel.
