Ralls County Sheriff Suspends Use of Flock Cameras

Sheriff Brian Allen says the department will keep its cameras offline while seeking clarification about what information is retained, who can access it and how it may be used.

RALLS COUNTY, Mo. — The Ralls County Sheriff’s Office has suspended its use of Flock camera technology while Sheriff Brian Allen seeks additional information about the system’s data collection and access practices.

Allen announced Tuesday, Sept. 1, that the department’s only operating stationary Flock camera, located along the northbound lanes of U.S. 61 near Spencer Creek, has been covered with black plastic and is no longer in use.

A second camera belonging to the department is mounted to a mobile traffic and speed trailer. Allen said that trailer is currently parked at the Sheriff’s Office.

The sheriff said the department has arranged a meeting with its Flock representative and plans to ask a number of questions about how information collected through the system is handled.

Among the questions Allen identified are what information is retained, who has access to that information and whether information obtained through the cameras is sold.

Allen emphasized that he continues to support the public-safety purposes for which he said the technology was originally presented to the department, including alerts involving wanted individuals, endangered elderly people and abducted or endangered children.

However, the sheriff said recent media reports and concerns raised by members of the public prompted him to seek a clearer understanding of the broader capabilities and practices associated with the system.

“There may be more to the system than I am aware of,” Allen said in the announcement.

For the time being, the cameras will remain offline.

The Sheriff’s Office did not allege in its announcement that Flock has improperly sold, retained or shared information. Rather, Allen said those are among the issues he wants clarified before deciding whether the department will resume using the technology.

The announcement comes amid broader public discussion in communities across the country about automated license plate reader systems, their role in law enforcement and questions surrounding data access, retention and privacy.

Quincy Current will continue to follow the issue and any additional information released by the Ralls County Sheriff’s Office following its meeting with Flock.

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