The Moorhead Police Department has implemented the use of Flock Safety technology to enhance public safety and crime-solving capabilities. Flock cameras are motion-activated cameras that can identify details of vehicles that pass by. The cameras capture the make, vehicle type, color, license plate (full, partial, or missing), state of the plate, and unique features, including damage and after-market alterations.
This advanced technology enables us to capture objective evidence while safeguarding individual privacy. The Moorhead Police Department, in accordance with Minnesota law, has established policies to ensure the responsible use of Flock technology. This valuable tool will aid in criminal investigations, and we are committed to adhering to all state statutes to prevent any misuse of the system.
Key Features and Policies:
- Objective Evidence Collection: Flock Safety technology detects license plates and vehicles, but does not capture facial recognition, people, gender, or race.
- Retroactive Search: This feature helps solve crimes after they have occurred by providing valuable investigative data.
- Real-Time Alerts: The system alerts us to hotlist vehicles, aiding in active investigations.
Commitment to Privacy and Proper Usage:
- Acceptable Use Policy: Data is used strictly for law enforcement purposes and is never sold to third parties.
- Prohibited Uses: In Minnesota, this technology is not used for immigration enforcement, traffic enforcement, harassment, or any use based solely on a protected class (e.g., race, sex, religion). Personal use is also prohibited.
- Access Policy: The system can only be accessed by authorized law enforcement personnel. All system access requires a valid reason and is logged indefinitely.
Moorhead Usage Statistics and Transparency:
- Data Retention: Data is retained for 30 days.
- Unique Vehicles Detected: In the last 30 days, 190,030 unique vehicles were detected.
- Searches Conducted: 56 searches have been conducted in the last 30 days.
Additional Information:
- Flock Safety technology is a valuable tool for investigating crimes within the city.
- The Moorhead Police Department adheres to Minnesota statutory requirements regarding the use of automatic license plate readers to ensure community privacy and protection.
- Data collected is limited to license plate numbers, date, time, and location of vehicles, including pictures of the plates and vehicles.
- Flock cameras are not used to monitor or track individuals unless authorized by a search warrant based on probable cause or vital circumstances.
- All data collected is deleted after 30 days unless associated with a specific criminal case.
- A public log of Automated License Plate Recognition (ALPR) use is maintained, including times of data collection, the number of vehicle plates collected, and the location of the ALPR cameras. Specific identifying information is not provided in the public log.
- Internal access to ALPR data is strictly controlled and logged according to department policy, based only on reasonable suspicion related to an active criminal investigation.
- These cameras do not have video capability and cannot be used for red-light violations or similar enforcement.
Flock Safety Technology was recently used in Moorhead for the recovery of a stolen rental vehicle. The vehicle was located within minutes of getting a hit for a stolen vehicle and recovered without incident.
The Moorhead Police Department is committed to transparency and ensuring the proper use of Flock Safety technology to enhance public safety while respecting individual privacy.
For more information, please contact the Moorhead Police Department or see the links below.
Flock Safety Moorhead, MN Transparency Portal: https://transparency.flocksafety.com/moorhead-mn-pd
Minnesota Statutes on ALPR: https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/13.824
