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County police defend use of license‑plate readers, cite 30‑day retention and restricted access
Summary
At a Feb. 10 New Castle County Public Safety Committee meeting, police briefed council on Flock automatic license‑plate readers (ALPRs), saying the devices do not use facial recognition, data are retained for 30 days, access is limited to documented investigations and sharing is confined to agencies with formal agreements.
Colonel Leonard of the New Castle County Police Department told the county Public Safety Committee on Feb. 10 that the department uses Flock automatic license‑plate readers (ALPRs) to help investigate major crimes and Amber alerts and that the system does not perform facial recognition.
"One thing is clear: it does not identify people. It doesn't do any type of facial recognition," Colonel Leonard said, describing Flock as a tool that photographs license plates and records time, location and vehicle make. He said the technology has proven most useful in stolen‑vehicle and burglary investigations.
Leonard said the department stores ALPR captures in a cloud and has tightened internal controls in the last six to eight…
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