By Merrilee Gasser, The Center Square
In Summary:
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office says Flock license plate readers have contributed to solving 15 murders, 17 kidnappings and 172 missing-person cases since 2024. The agency operates 141 fixed and nine mobile readers across Duval County and says it monitors and audits database use. Lake City Police Chief Gerald Butler also credited the cameras, along with other law enforcement methods, with helping reduce gun violence.
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Amid privacy concerns and reports of misuse, Florida law enforcement officials are highlighting the benefits they have seen from using the AI-powered Flock camera system.
Related: Flock cameras fuel privacy debate across Florida.
In Jacksonville, Flock’s License Plate Readers, or LPRs, have helped solve 15 murders, 17 kidnappings, six forcible sex offenses, nearly 100 shootings, and 172 missing-persons cases since 2024, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.
In a recent case, an LPR helped the department find a teenage girl who had been kidnapped from her home in Georgia and brought to a motel in Jacksonville where officers were able to get her to safety, the sheriff’s department said.
In another case, an LPR helped investigators locate suspects after a corrections officer was killed at a truck stop. Investigators took the suspects into custody within 48 hours.
“When someone you love is in danger, you want us to have every responsible tool available to help find them and solve the crime,” the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. “We currently have 141 fixed LPRs and 9 mobile LPRs across Duval County. We also understand that LPRs can raise questions and concerns. That’s why we tie their use to legitimate law-enforcement purposes and monitor and audit them. If someone misuses the system, we will address it. Our goal is to use technology responsibly to help keep our community safe while maintaining accountability and trust.”
The LPRs use AI to analyze images of all passing vehicles and store the information in a searchable database.
Flock Chief Strategy Officer Rahul Sidhu said this week that one reason people see more stories about Flock catching misuse of its database is how well its auditing system works.
“Flock is the only police database with the level of auditing that it has,” Sidhu said. “Bad cops who misuse Flock are likely misusing other police databases that have very little auditing. We want to make it law: all databases have our level of auditing, plus punishments must be severe.”
Sidhu argued that if other companies had Flock’s level of auditing, there would be more stories about cops abusing other systems.
Jacksonville isn’t the only place in Florida where law enforcement officials are saying Flock is making a difference. Earlier this month, Lake City Police Chief Gerald Butler told the city council he has observed reduced crime after installing the cameras.
“The Flock system, along with other law enforcement techniques, has contributed to significantly reducing the amount of gun violence in this city,” said Butler.
Key Points
- Jacksonville officials say Flock cameras have helped solve 15 murders, 17 kidnappings, six forcible sex offenses and nearly 100 shootings since 2024.
- The system also has contributed to 172 missing-person cases, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.
- In one case, a camera helped officers locate a teenage kidnapping victim from Georgia at a Jacksonville motel.
- The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office operates 141 fixed and nine mobile license plate readers throughout Duval County.
- Law enforcement agencies and Flock officials say they audit database searches, but privacy advocates remain concerned about surveillance and potential misuse.
This developing story will be updated in future editions of The Apopka Voice.
