Norfolk installed 172 automatic license plate reading cameras last month that can track comings and goings throughout the city.
License plate cameras have been around for a while. But what distinguishes these cameras, made by Flock Safety, is their use of machine learning to pick up on details about a car other than its license plate, as well as the nationwide database Flock is building out of its customers’ information.
Law enforcement and city officials in Norfolk see these advanced capabilities as a boon to public safety, but Norfolk residents and state lawmakers alike have sounded off about privacy concerns over the massive amount of data the cameras capture.
In the month the cameras have been operational, the Norfolk Police Department hasn’t completed or released a formal policy on use and storage of data that the cameras collect. A police spokesperson said a policy is in the works.
To understand how the cameras are used and parameters around the department’s use, The Virginian-Pilot spoke with a police lieutenant who oversees the camera program and a Flock company representative.