Des Moines police outline Flock plate-reader program, propose online transparency portal
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Summary
The police chief described the city’s Flock automated license-plate reader program, saying 15 cameras went live in June 2023, data are encrypted and retained 30 days, national searching was disabled, and staff recommended a public transparency portal showing camera locations and daily search logs.
The Des Moines Police Department briefed the City Council on the city’s automated license-plate reader (ALPR) system and recommended publishing a transparency portal that would let the public view camera locations, who can access data and daily search logs.
The chief, identified in the transcript only as “Chief,” said the city contracted with Flock and that the system was fully operational by June 2023 with 15 devices installed. He described two primary uses: a proactive hot-list alert that pings officers when a vehicle on a statewide hot list enters the city and an investigative tool that allows staff to search 30 days of cloud-stored images for specific criteria such as plate, state, body type, make and color. “We just turned off all national searching,” the chief said, describing a change made after external review.
On access and safeguards, the chief emphasized CJIS (Criminal Justice Information Services) audit logs and multi-factor authentication. He said every search is recorded—including who ran it, on which terminal and the stated reason—so internal misuse can be tracked and audited. He described encryption and cloud storage and said the department has passed federal and state CJIS audits.
Council members pressed on operational details. Council member Harris asked whether detectives working off duty can receive alerts; the chief explained alerts can be routed either through the CAD or to a work phone depending on configuration and stressed alerts come from statewide hot-list matches rather than individual officers setting personal watches. Council member Steinmetz asked about privacy expectations for plates on public roads and the chief said court rulings generally find no privacy interest in license plates observed on public roadways.
The chief acknowledged community concerns about data sharing and demonstrations of the system, and recommended an online transparency portal similar to one Renton Police Department has implemented. He said such a portal can show camera maps, who the city shares with, and provide a downloadable, sanitized spreadsheet of access logs so residents can see who looked at the data that day. The chief said the city could publish a portal “within a week” after web work and staff coordination.
Next steps: the council paused for an executive session on other business but returned and discussed publishing the portal; no formal policy change or contract amendment was adopted at the meeting.
Why it matters: The presentation combined operational details (how alerts and searches work) with policy choices (retention, sharing, public disclosure). The council’s direction to pursue a transparency portal responds to community calls for clearer public oversight while state-level legislation and records laws could further change program rules.
