Debate over use of Flock cameras expands nationwide

FOR JOINING US HERE ON SIX NEWS TONIGHT. I'M ROBIN, WOLFRAM AND. I'M AXEL GUMBEL. WELL, THIS IS A DEBATE THAT HAS BEEN GARNERING ATTENTION ACROSS THE NATION. THE USE OF AUTOMATIC LICENSE PLATE READERS BY POLICE TO LOG AND TRACK ANY CAR THAT PASSES BY. THERE ARE OVER A HUNDRED THOUSANDS OF THESE TYPES OF CAMERAS ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND NOW DUE TO CONCERNS OVER PRIVACY MORE AND MORE FLOCK CAMERAS ARE BEING VANDALIZED. NOW THIS TYPE OF VANDALISM EVEN HIT HERE, CLOSE TO HOME IN SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA IS ALL EIGHT PLOT CAMERAS AND WHEN JONAH HAD BEEN STOLEN TODAY. SIXES, KABADDI. MATOMBO LOOKED INTO THE ISSUE TO FIND OUT HOW THESE CAMERAS ARE BEING USED HERE IN OUR AREA AND WHY THEY ARE STIRRING UP SO MUCH CONTROVERSY. AXEL ROBYN, ONE OF THESE CAMERAS, ACTUALLY RIGHT BEHIND ME NOW IT'S CALLED A AN AUTOMATIC LICENSE PLATE READER , BUT COMPANIES LIKE FLOCKS, CELL SEVERAL DIFFERENT TYPES AND THE RULES FOR HOW AGENCIES CAN USE THEM ARE ALSO DIFFERENT FROM STATE TO STATE THERE ARE OVER A THOUSAND AUTOMATIC LICENSE PLATE READERS OR ALP PRS IN MINNESOTA AND IOWA THE MAJORITY OF THEM OUR OWNED BY THE COMPANY FLOCK SAFE DEEP, THE WIDESPREAD USE OF THESE CAMERAS HAVE RAISED PRIVACY CONCERNS ACROSS THE U. S SAYS PEOPLE ARE WORRIED THAT THE TECHNOLOGY CAN BE USED FOR MASS SURVEILLANCE. THE CAMERAS THEMSELVES ARE ABLE ARE CAPABLE OF RECORDING INDIVIDUALS WALKING BY SEARCHING FOR THEM BY DESCRIPTION OR BY HEIGHT BY CLOTHING STYLE BY RACE, BUT. LAW ENFORCEMENT AND FLOCK SAFETY SAY THAT'S NOT NECESSARILY THE CASE AS A MRS ONLY TRACK VEHICLES AND LICENSE PLATES WITH FLOCK SEEING IN THE STATEMENT FLOCK SAFETY LPR CAMERAS, CAMERAS, OUR PURPOSE BUILT TO CAPTURE STILL POINT IN TIME IMAGES OF VEHICLES IN PUBLIC VIEW THEY DO NOT RECORD OR STORE VIDEO HERE IN OUR AREA THE LARGEST CONCENTRATION OF THESE CAMERAS ARE FOUND IN CLEAR LAKE POLICE CHIEF MIKE COLBY SAYS THESE CAMERAS HELP HIS DEPARTMENT DO MORE WITH LESS, WE'RE ABLE. TO PUT THOSE CASES TOGETHER QUICKER AND GET PEOPLE THAT ARE VIOLATING THE LAW AND REALLY PUT PEOPLE IN DANGER. LOCATED FASTER AND THE TECHNOLOGY HAS LED TO ARRESTS IN CLEAR LAKE AS FLOCK CAMERAS ALLOWED POLICE TO LOCATE AND ARREST A GROUP OF FRAUD SUSPECTS USING ONLY A DESCRIPTION OF THEIR CAR. BUT DESPITE THE POPULARITY OF FLOCK BRANDED MRS THE ROCHESTER POLICE DEPARTMENT DECIDED TO GO WITH CAMERAS MADE BY THE COMPANY ACTS ON BECAUSE THEY WANTED TO MAKE SURE THEY HAD CONTROL OVER THEIR DATA. AXON IS GOES TO GREAT LENGTHS TO MAKE SURE THE DATA THAT THE L P R. IS SECURE AND CAN'T BE BREACHED BY OTHER . ORGANIZATIONS, BLOCK SAFETY HAS BEEN CRITICIZED FOR HOW IT STORES AND ALLOWS OTHER AGENCIES TO ACCESS LICENSE PLATE DATA. ANY LAW ENFORCEMENT. AGENCY THAT CONTRACTS WITH FLOCK. HAS ACCESS TO ANY OTHER LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES FLOCK CAMERAS. UNLESS THAT AGENCY RESTRICTS ACCESS IN. A STATEMENT, BLOCK SAFETY, SAID THAT AGENCY IS USING THE TECHNOLOGY HAVE TO CHANGE THEIR SETTINGS FOR OUTSIDE AGENCIES TO ACCESS THEIR CAMERAS, AND SOME POLICE DEPARTMENTS LIKE CLEAR LAKE HAVE SECTIONS ON THEIR WEBSITES WHERE YOU CAN SEE EXACTLY WHAT THEIR CAMERAS DO AND WHAT THEY ARE FOR, BUT THE FACT THAT THERE ARE SEVERAL DIFFERENT COMPANIES WITH SEVERAL DIFFERENT TYPES OF CAMERAS THAT THE AVERAGE PERSON, IT