Mount Vernon police defend Flock license‑plate readers as investigatory tool

Mount Vernon’s police chief told the Police, Fire and Civil Defense committee that the city’s Flock automated license‑plate reader system is a limited law‑enforcement tool, not a continuous video or a surveillance product that records sound.

Chief Morgan said the system “is not a video camera. It takes still pictures only,” and explained the department’s policy that images are retained on a rotating 30‑day cloud cache and deleted automatically unless pulled for an active case. He said the department owns and controls the images and that access is limited to LEADS‑certified officers and audited for compliance.

During questioning, Lieutenant Lewis described how the department uses the system operationally: officers must enter a case or call‑for‑service number and document a lawful purpose before searching, and common searches cover short timeframes such as 24 hours or are constrained by license plate, vehicle description or other identifying features. The chief emphasized that the system “does not have a facial recognition component attached.”

Council members pressed about logs and whether officers are required to document images taken from the system. The chief said searches and “hits” are documented and the system is audited by a lieutenant responsible for training and compliance. He warned that improper use can lead to discipline or criminal sanctions and said, to date, the department has not had compliance issues with its Flock policy.

The committee’s discussion focused on operational controls—who may access the system, what audit trails exist and how long images are retained—rather than on any immediate legislative change. The committee moved on when scheduled time expired.