In 2024, the Joplin Police Department installed Flock cameras around the surrounding Joplin city area. Flock Safety, manufacturer and operator of security hardware and software, provides said products to both private industries and police departments across the country. In Joplin, Flock LPR readers, also referred as license plate capturing cameras, aim to provide aid in vehicle-related investigations. Joplin’s Chief of Police, Richard Pearson, shares insight into the department’s use of this technology, while also clarifying citizen speculation.
“Flock has been in use for several years by police departments from coast to coast,” says Pearson, now serving as the Chief of Joplin’s Police Department for nearly two years. “It’s information sharing.”
Placed in areas of the city that attract the most calls of service, including crime rate or high traffic volume, installation of the cameras is done entirely by Flock. After installation, access to the cameras is purchased directly through the private company. In Joplin, the monitorization of these cameras is purchased by the police department, granting all sworn officers access to the software.
“It is incredibly useful in law enforcement,” says Pearson when asked why Joplin needs this technology. “As a matter of fact, we use Flock every hour of every day in law enforcement. This isn’t a new novel tool.”
Used to capture still photographs of license plates, Flock’s LPR readers actively surveil Joplin’s streets. After capturing a vehicle license plate, the image is stored in Flock’s camera system for 30 days, about 4 and a half weeks. According to Pearson, once the image reaches the 31-day threshold, it is immediately deleted from the Flock system.
Since its introduction, Flock’s camera systems have served as a point of discourse for Joplin residents. In January, Michael Williams, organizer of DeFlock Joplin, an advocacy group against Flock’s camera systems, spoke on the topic with KOAM. According to Williams, and selective Joplin residents, the technology is an invasion of privacy.
“From what I know, the police can access the raw data on the cameras. That’s my understanding at least. And that would include more than just license plate data,” said Williams on KOAM.
When speaking with Pearson, he informs that resident speculation quickly surfaced after an incident occurred between DeFlock Joplin and Joplin’s Police Department. Following the repetitive flagging of the same license plate, the group had requested an investigation to be done on the system. Following this investigation, one that Pearson says he began immediately after being informed, a Joplin police officer was found to be misusing the technology.
“We had a license plate reader policy, but not specific to Flock and how Flock operates,” says the Chief. “So, we updated our policy. We beefed it up, made it more robust, to specifically address Flock, and how officers are supposed to use Flock and what they can and can’t do as relates to Flock.”
Along with this, the department has also implemented monthly audits. According to Pearson, these audits analyze a clock system, properly gauging officer’s usage of the system and preventing a plate from being run repeatedly. The information collected from the audit is directly sent to the department’s internal affairs sergeant, who further analyzes the collected data.
“Flock is the least robust investigative tool we have at our fingertips; Flock is the least of our capabilities,” says Pearson. “Federal courts and state courts have ruled again and again and again that Flock is not an invasion of privacy. There is nothing there. This is a big nothing burger, as they say.”
Despite the debate, Flock has proven to be successful. Just recently, Pearson shares that Flock’s LPR system was able to help assist police in an AMBER Alert investigation.
“Within four minutes of that AMBER Alert coming out, that car got hit by a Flock camera, notified the state highway police, and they were able to rescue that child,” shares Pearson. “That’s how we use it.”
According to Pearson, he has no plans to stop the use of Flock in the city of Joplin. With the safety of citizens as his leading priority, Pearson encourages the use of the software and its capabilities.
“I don’t care what DeFlock Joplin says,” states the Chief. “They’re not responsible for public safety. They’re not the ones who are going to have to answer when we miss an AMBER Alert. We are.”
Due to investigative purposes, Pearson was not allowed to comment on the location and amount of Flock cameras currently being used in Joplin.