Hart County Sheriff's Office discusses Flock camera policy and usage

Hart County Sheriff’s Office discusses Flock camera policy and usage HART COUNTY, Ky. – The Hart County Sheriff’s Office is discussing its current policy regarding Automatic License Plate Readers, also known as Flock cameras. The agency stated in a social media post on Tuesday that it wanted to also discuss misconceptions about the cameras. According to the sheriff’s office, Flock cameras are “a public safety and investigative tool” utilized by its deputies. An example of use includes trying to catch an individual who steals a four-wheeler, the sheriff’s office states. The agency says the cameras are designed to capture an image of a license plate and a vehicle. According to the sheriff’s office, these images show the license plate number, vehicle make and model, color, time and location when a vehicle passed a camera. The agency says history on the cameras is available for up to 30 days. According to the sheriff’s office, after that time period passes, the data is purged, and inquiries are “always historic and not in real time.” The agency says a Flock system sends “alerts” for registration plates that are entered into the National Crime Information Center. Those alerts include wanted individuals, stolen vehicles, stolen registrations plates, golden alerts or amber alerts, missing individuals and an optional alert for sex offenders, according to the sheriff’s office. When an alert is dispatched, the agency says deputies in the area try to locate the vehicle. If the vehicle is found, the sheriff’s office says deputies are required to confirm the registration plate through dispatch or NCIC and follow proper traffic stop steps. What are some misconceptions, according to authorities? According to the sheriff’s office, Flock cameras do not possess facial recognition. In addition, the agency states after speaking with Flock representatives, Flock cameras do not offer any