Eyes on the Road: Flock license plate cameras raise questions about immigration data sharing

Flock cameras allow police departments to share data in an instant, but some are questioning whether that information should be available to immigration authorities. News 12's Kevin Vesey has part three of our series Eyes on the Road. Flock safety has built a nationwide network of license plate readers. The company says it's for law enforcement to solve crimes and find missing people. But what about federal authorities like ice? These are our communities, our homes, our neighborhood streets. Minerva Perez is an advocate for immigrants with the group Ola of Eastern Long Island. She fears immigration officers could tap into flocks vast system to find people they're targeting. We want to make sure that this is just not another way to track human beings that might be in the process of being documented or fully documented or just as an as an excuse to pick anyone up. But flock says it does not work with ice and the company does not have a contract with ice. Flock writes on its website, quote, Communities control federal data access. By default, sharing with federal agencies is disabled. Ice does not have direct access to flock cameras, systems or data. But that does not mean local agencies are barred from sharing data with the feds. In fact, earlier this year, a member of the Suffolk Sheriff's Office said flock data is shared with one federal agency. The cameras are shared with various local municipality agencies throughout the country. The only federal agency that we're sharing with currently is the New York is the postal police. By flocks own admission, the company offered pilot projects to H. S. I. And Customs and Border Protection. Last year, flock says it no longer conducts pilot projects with federal agencies. The company also says it does not have facial recognition technology, though the cameras can pick up distinguishing features on passing vehicles like color bumper stickers or roof racks. Police officials say that information is only shared if a crime gets committed. The data sharing when it comes to non criminal or something that's not a warrant related situation or rest of the situation, it stays in house. But if a person commits a crime, you know, and there once a person that information will be put into the flock system and then other jurisdictions will have access to that. Law enforcement leaders say it's like having extra cops on the beat. But the question remains if that much surveillance is really needed. Kevin V. C News 12. And if you'd like to see our complete series eyes on the road, just head to news 12 dot com right now on your phone.