# Privacy groups raise red flags over police misuse of Flock cameras
# CBS Evening News — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7eLwj5qD0M

Now to the growing backlash against
Flock cameras. Those street and roadside
cameras that snap photos of your license
plate in more than 40 states. Law
enforcement officials say they help
solve crimes, but privacy groups are
concerned they're being misused by
police officers. Here's senior national
correspondent Mark Strassmann.
Ohio State troopers in pursuit of an
attempted murder suspect. They captured
his car on camera and that's how they
tracked down and captured him.
Across America, police agencies now rely
on Flock surveillance cameras.
It doesn't tell us who did it. It gives
us leads that we otherwise would not
have had.
Flock cameras create a vehicle
fingerprint, a unique high-resolution
image of a passing car's make, model,
condition, and license plate. This
crime-fighting tool has also led to the
arrests of dozens of police officers,
allegedly for misusing it.
Including North Carolina cop Elizabeth
Snowman. She allegedly accessed the
Flock system more than 30 times to track
her boyfriend's ex-wife.
It all goes up in smoke when you have
cops like this violating the system.
Block the Flock protesters see it as a
tool for the surveillance state,
including Taylor Arnold in Cobb County,
Georgia.
We don't have any option to opt out. You
are driving, um there's seven within
this intersection right here. Um it's
not something we can get away from.
Flock claims its cameras helped solve
more than 1 million crimes last year and
returned more than 10,000 missing
people.
Any level of abuse
police abuse of their power is
unacceptable.
We talked to Garrett Langley, Flock's
co-founder and CEO.
When there's abuse, is some of the
responsibility
on Flock?
We can't avoid responsibility. I don't
think the tool is the problem. We have
to find a way to be both safe and
maintain privacy.
Flock's technology includes audit logs
and police agencies use those logs to
spot people who are snooping illegally.
But, whether any company can build a
privacy setting that is absolutely
foolproof is something else.
Matt?
Mark, thank you.