A dispute over the use of Flock license plate reader cameras has erupted between Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department and the union representing its officers.
The D.C. Police Union filed a complaint against the department after it discovered that internal affairs detectives had used Flock cameras to track officers suspected of misconduct.
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In a press release, the union defended the surveillance technology as a legitimate investigative tool. But it argued that the department had failed to establish proper controls for preventing unlawful use.
“A system with such broad and extensive capabilities requires not only significant guardrails, but also full transparency with the public,” D.C. Police Union President Gregg Pemberton said. The police department, he said, “has provided neither.”
‘Guardrails needed to prevent misuse’
The press release was issued in response to the union’s discovery of what it described as “improper use” of Flock data in July by management. The union said it immediately filed misconduct complaints and a class grievance in an effort to stop the alleged misuse.
But the department denied the grievance, the union said, and demands that the managers accused of misuse be investigated were shot down as well. However, the department also issued a new directive restricting department-wide access to the Flock system.
“The problem is not the camera,” Pemberton said. “The problem is that the full capabilities of this system remain unknown, and the guardrails needed to prevent misuse have not been properly negotiated or implemented by MPD.”
Yet the union’s press release failed to provide any details on the alleged misuse. But the department said the union’s complaint came in response to the surveillance technology being aimed at one of their own by the internal affairs unit.
“Department’s position is that the use of LPR in the misconduct investigation was appropriate,” a spokesperson told WJLA-TV in Washington. “This grievance involves a union matter, and it will be resolved through arbitration between MPD and the DC Police Union.”
The union has said that the grievance will next head to arbitration and that its misconduct complaints against the MPD are ongoing.
The incident comes amid a nationwide debate over license plate readers that has resulted in everything from grassroots protests to vandalism against cameras. According to the Institute for Justice, there are currently 239 known cases where the technology has led to issues such as false arrests or been misused for purposes such as stalking by law enforcement. DeFlock.org, an open-source project that maps the location of license plate reader cameras, also notes that at least 153 cities have rejected Flock by either declining to renew or outright cancelling their contracts with the company.
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