LR City Board to Evaluate New Contract for Enhanced LRPD Surveillance Technology: What It Means for Public Safety

The Little Rock Board of Directors is set to vote next week on key contracts for the Little Rock Police Department, including a proposal for advanced surveillance technology and a new rule that requires city directors to attend meetings in person.

During a recent meeting, the board approved the agenda for its upcoming meeting on February 18.

One significant item on the agenda is a resolution to purchase 30 automated license plate reader cameras from Flock Safety. This resolution aims to upgrade the LRPD’s real-time crime center with an investment of $77,500, enhancing an ongoing contract.

If the vote passes, the city would add 25 stationary cameras and five portable ones, complementing the 75 cameras already acquired in February 2023.

License plate reader cameras work by detecting vehicles in their view. They automatically match license plate numbers with a database of stolen or suspicious vehicles. If there’s a match, police verify the information before taking action. Otherwise, the data is generally deleted.

Flock Safety’s technology is utilized by over 5,000 cities across the U.S. The cameras gather data such as license plate images, vehicle details, and timestamps of when vehicles pass by. However, they’ve faced criticism over privacy concerns.

The American Civil Liberties Union raised alarms about how Flock cameras use artificial intelligence to process these plates against various watchlists, providing law enforcement extensive access to vehicle movements.

Such a system allows even small-town sheriffs access to a powerful surveillance tool, enabling larger agencies to monitor vehicles in small communities, creating a massive, centralized surveillance network.

In 2022, the ACLU released a report expressing concerns about Flock Safety’s collaboration with police, noting that it helps promote the technology for more cities.

The LRPD policy states that data collected by these cameras is kept for 150 days before being deleted. If a license plate is linked to a crime, the information remains in a case file until it’s no longer needed.

Flock Safety, being a private entity, does not have to adhere to LRPD policies regarding data usage. Their policy allows them to share footage with law enforcement as necessary, raising additional privacy concerns.

Flock may access, use, preserve and/or disclose footage to law enforcement or others if required by law, or whenever they believe it is necessary for various reasons.

The ACLU recommends that cities choose license plate readers that don’t link to broader surveillance systems.

The LRPD has implemented license plate readers since at least August 2018. The city initially acquired eight cameras, as reported by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette in 2019.

If approved, the LRPD would have a total of 105 Flock Safety cameras. The purchase funding would come from taxpayer money, building upon previous allocations from the American Rescue Plan Act, designed for COVID-19 recovery.

Earlier, the city board rejected a contract renewal for ShotSpotter, a controversial gunshot detection system. Director Antwan Phillips, who opposed the renewal, highlighted concerns around taxpayer funding.

In addition to the camera proposal, the board will vote on spending $100,000 for evidence management software and about $56,000 for new police vests.

A proposed ordinance by Ward 4 City Director Capi Peck aims to end remote meeting allowances that started during the pandemic for city directors and the mayor, maintaining virtual attendance only for medical emergencies. A final vote on this policy is also expected next week.