Alexandria Mayor explains Flock camera practices in response to immigration enforcement doubts

Alexandria Mayor explains Flock camera practices in response to immigration enforcement doubts

Alexandria Mayor Addresses Community Concerns Over Flock Safety Surveillance Cameras

In a bid to address community concerns, Alexandria Mayor Alyia Gaskins has directed the city manager to review all programs to ensure they align with the city's values as a welcoming community. The focus of the review is the city's use of Flock Safety surveillance cameras.

The Alexandria Police Department (APD) operates 61 Flock cameras throughout the city, capturing license plate and vehicle information. These cameras do not use facial recognition technology or detect people, gender, or race. According to Flock Safety's transparency portal, Alexandria's Flock cameras retain data for 30 days and are used only for law enforcement purposes.

Mayor Gaskins provided clarification that new Virginia laws prevent the technology from being misused by federal immigration enforcement. If any federal agency or out-of-state police department wants access to this information, they must obtain a search warrant or court order signed by a judge.

The Chief of Police stated that it is unlikely that ICE would be able to obtain a warrant or court order to access Alexandria's data unless it were related to a criminal investigation. The city's policy explicitly prohibits using the technology for immigration enforcement, traffic enforcement, harassment or intimidation, or actions based solely on protected classes such as race, sex, or religion.

Hotlist alerts must be verified by humans before action is taken. Only Virginia law enforcement agencies can now access Alexandria's camera data. APD has worked with Flock to disable national data sharing capabilities to comply with Virginia law.

The city's review includes ensuring programs do not share data inappropriately or place residents in harm's way. Virginia's laws restrict the Alexandria Police Department from sharing Flock camera data with out-of-state agencies based on state privacy and data-sharing statutes; current regulations prohibit the use of surveillance cameras specifically for immigration enforcement under state-level privacy and civil rights protections.

Flock cameras have proven to be effective in solving several cases. They have helped locate a stolen vehicle driven by a fugitive and find a missing juvenile. The city's policy on system access requires a valid reason and is stored indefinitely in the city's policies.

A link to watch the conversation in its entirety is provided for those who wish to gain a deeper understanding of the city's stance on the use of Flock Safety surveillance cameras. The discussion of Flock cameras was part of a broader conversation on Tuesday.

In conclusion, the city of Alexandria is taking steps to ensure the use of Flock Safety surveillance cameras aligns with its values as a welcoming community. The cameras are not used for immigration enforcement, do not collect personal data, and are subject to strict regulations regarding data sharing.

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