Las Cruces Police Department launches Flock camera transparency portal

LAS CRUCES, N.M. (KVIA) -- Amid public worries about privacy, the Las Cruces Police Department posted a video explaining how it uses Flock automatic license plate readers (ALPRs). Tuesday, LCPD said it introduced a Flock Camera Transparency Portal that posts updated information on the technology.

According to the police department, LCPD retains data from Flock for 30 days before it's automatically removed.

The transparency portal teaches users how LCPD uses Flock cameras to "capture objective evidence without compromising on privacy." Users can access data and usage summaries, the number of ALPRs in Las Cruces, the number of searches and the number of "hotlist hits."

Additionally, the portal includes information on what Flock cameras detect, LCPD's use policy and what counts as prohibited use of the technology.

The portal said the cameras detect license plates and vehicles. It doesn't detect faces, people, gender or race, according to the portal.

LCPD said hotlists include automatic alerts of vehicles entered into the National Crime Information Center and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

The portal and social media video released the same day the El Paso City Council unanimously voted to direct the city manager to ensure the removal of all Flock ALPRs and to direct city leaders to refrain from entering new contracts with Flock Safety unless directed by the council.

"My hope is that whatever conclusion you reach, you reach it based on what the technology actually does, how we use it, and the facts not on misinformation, assumptions, or things that simply aren't true," LCPD Chief Jeremy Story said in the social media video.

Find the portal here.

You can watch the full video posted by LCPD below.