Harvey, Illinois adding Flock Safety drones amid growing concerns over surveillance technology and police misuse of data

Police in south suburban Harvey are expanding their surveillance technology with new Flock Safety drones, even as some other cities, like the Los Angeles Police Department, have ended their relationships with Flock over concerns about how the company handles data from their automated license plate readers.

Flock Safety has said it's adding new safeguards to the technology used by thousands of departments, including in the Chicago area, but critics said more changes are still needed.

Flock cameras photograph license plates and vehicle characteristics, creating searchable records that police say help solve crimes, recover stolen vehicles, and can even locate missing people.

But the technology has come under scrutiny in recent months. Flock Safety's CEO Garrett Langley apologized on Thursday for instances in which its data was misused by law enforcement officers.

"I think any level of abuse is disgusting and unacceptable, and I am so sorry for anyone who has been a victim," Langley said.

Meantime, in south suburban Harvey, police are adding more eyes in the sky with Flock safety drones, license plate readers, and a network of cameras tied to the department's real-time crime center.

"It is about being proactive, preventing crime before it happens, responding faster when emergencies occur, and building a community that is united around safety and progress," Harvey Police Chief Dale Mitchell said. "We will always use it in a legal, ethical, and moral way."

Flock Safety is introducing new safety controls in response to growing concerns over surveillance and police misuse.

Some critics have even gone as far as vandalizing the cameras.

The Institute for Justice, a nonprofit law firm specializing in civil liberties cases, identified over 100 incidents of automatic license plate reader abuse, including stalking and wrongful stops.

Last month, a Milwaukee police officer plead guilty to misconduct, accused of nearly 200 unauthorized searches, including attempts to track an ex.

Flock Safety CEO Garrett Langley said the technology will now flag abnormal search behavior, require users to enter a case number to justify each search, and reduce its data retention from 30 days to seven.

"You will get caught, plain and simple. If you try to use this tool illegally, you will get caught," he said.

Ed Yohnka, spokesman for Illinois chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, said Flock has, in some cases, exaggerated how the technology contributes to public safety. He questioned Flock's claims that guardrails have already been in place. 

"This isn't really the solution to this. What really is the solution is more regulation at the state level," he said. "I think we should not presume that somehow we can reform a mass surveillance system which has 120,000 cameras in more than 6,000 communities."

Langley agreed states need stronger regulation for such surveillance technology.

In Illinois, House Bill 5151, introduced earlier this year, would set rules for how license plate readers can be used. It has yet to be assigned to a committee for debate.