Your Car Camera May Be Building a Record of Every Drive

A new state law is placing tighter limits on how data collected by automated license plate reader cameras can be retained and shared, including a 21-day retention limit in most cases. The change comes as reporting indicates that Flock Safety camera systems are already in use by at least 28 agencies and other entities across the state.

New limits on license plate reader data

The law establishes a time limit for retaining information captured by automated license plate readers. Records generally must be deleted after 21 days, although certain exceptions apply.

The measure also restricts the sale or sharing of the information for purposes beyond narrowly defined law enforcement uses. Those provisions are intended to limit how long vehicle-location records remain accessible and how they may be used by agencies or other organizations.

For commercial drivers, the issue is significant because license plate reader systems can create records showing when and where a truck or other vehicle was observed. Repeated observations may reveal travel patterns even when no traffic violation or criminal investigation is involved.

How Flock systems analyze vehicle movements

Flock Safety, a private company, operates automated public safety cameras in communities across the country. The systems can record a vehicle’s license plate, location and time of travel, along with other identifying characteristics.

Reporting on Flock’s software, formerly known as Nightshift and now called OS Investigate, described tools that combine camera records with police files and commercial data. Those tools can be used to identify vehicles, locate vehicles that repeatedly travel together and search for people based on movement patterns.

A joint analysis of camera data found that a single system captured millions of images over several weeks. The records included vehicles, bicycles and details such as bumper stickers. The data can be routed into a searchable network, allowing participating agencies outside the community where a camera is installed to access records, depending on the system’s permissions and applicable policies.

Broader concerns over access and accuracy

Flock’s network has drawn scrutiny over the number of agencies that can search its records and the types of investigations in which the data may be used. Previous reporting has described searches conducted on behalf of outside agencies, as well as cases in which camera records contributed to investigations later challenged by individuals involved.

In one case, a Rhode Island woman filed a lawsuit after she was mistakenly arrested and charged with reckless driving and eluding police. The allegations were based in part on Flock camera footage, according to the lawsuit.

The new retention and sharing requirements give agencies a defined deadline for deleting records and limit some secondary uses of the information. However, the law’s exceptions and the practical operation of interconnected camera systems will determine how much data remains available to investigators and other authorized users.