Kelso Police Chief Rich Fletcher is responding to growing concerns over the city’s new Flock Safety cameras, saying misinformation has created unnecessary fears about the city’s privacy and surveillance.
In a statement released yesterday, Fletcher said the cameras are designed to help locate stolen vehicles, identify vehicles connected to felony investigations, and assist in AMBER Alerts, missing persons cases, and other serious crimes. He says the cameras are strategically placed near major roadways, including Interstate 5 exits.
Fletcher made it clear that the cameras do not record video, identify drivers or passengers, track where vehicles have been or are going, or monitor activity inside vehicles. Instead, they capture a single still image of the back of a vehicle and its license plate. That information is automatically deleted after 21 days unless it is being used as evidence in a criminal investigation.
The chief also said officers may only search the database during felony or gross misdemeanor investigations or for other uses authorized by law, with every search documented and subject to auditing. Fletcher said the department plans to continue using the technology responsibly while remaining open to community questions and discussion.
In a statement online Wednesday, Longview Mayor Erik Halvorson said that the City of Longview operates no Flock cameras; however, one retailer in town uses them. He did, however, say that Kelso approached the city to use one of its poles for a camera and that a vendor mix-up led to one being installed without the city’s approval. It has since been deactivated. He said that any future operation of Flock cameras in the city would have to come before the council for a policy decision first.
Critics of the technology say it is a type of AI mass surveillance from a private corporation in partnership with government entities that tracks everyday movements without a warrant and risks data abuse. Many fear such technology can be abused by agencies like ICE and that it is similar to China’s public surveillance grid, which has been heavily criticized by the West for years.
