Flock camera use by internal affairs unit puts DC police at odds with officers’ union
The Washington, D.C. police department’s union is embroiled in a dispute with the MPD over the department’s use of Flock camera technology to track the whereabouts of sworn officers under investigation. This follows a broader national trend of cities and states limiting Flock’s use due to concerns about privacy and potential abuse of power. The union is demanding greater transparency and accountability, while the Council is seeking answers about how the department utilizes this technology.
The Washington, D.C. police department’s union is facing off against the MPD over the department’s use of Flock automated license plate recognition (ALPR) cameras. According to a September 10 press release from DC Police Union President Gregg Pemberton, the MPD has been using Flock to track officers under investigation, a practice that has sparked significant backlash. The union argues that the department has not established or enforced adequate controls for a system as ‘powerful’ as Flock’s, and that the department’s refusal to investigate managers involved in these searches is deeply concerning.
The MPD defended the practice, stating that the use of LPR in the misconduct investigation was ‘appropriate.’ However, the union filed a complaint and demanded the MPD cease using Flock to track officers. Management denied the complaint and refused to probe managers involved in the searches. Shortly after, the MPD issued a new teletype restricting department-wide access to Flock data, a move the union criticized.
The dispute comes amidst a growing national controversy surrounding Flock. Cities like Austin, Texas, Cambridge, Massachusetts; Evanston, Illinois; and Eugene, Oregon, have already stopped working with Flock. Furthermore, the state governments of Texas and Florida have implemented significant restrictions on Flock usage. A digital rights nonprofit, Secure Justice, found that more than 90 U.S. cities and counties terminated contracts with Flock in August alone, with nearly half of those terminations occurring in the past six weeks.
The DC Council is also investigating. Councilmember Brooke Pinto, chairwoman of the Judiciary and Public Safety Committee, sent a letter to Interim Chief Jeffery Carroll requesting answers to ten questions about how the department uses Flock data and why it needs the technology at all. The union is now assessing additional challenges and considering reforms to how the department handles Flock data access and appropriate use cases, demanding the same justification, logging and audit rules are applied to officers at every rank. Privacy advocates highlight the union’s strong stance as emblematic of increasing public concern over Flock’s mass surveillance capabilities.
Suzanne Smalley is a reporter covering digital privacy, surveillance technologies and cybersecurity policy for The Record.