Oklahoma City leaders are expected to consider renewing the city's contract with the controversial automated license plate reader company Flock Safety on Tuesday.
The City Council vote was scheduled for earlier this month, but OKC officials delayed consideration at the August 4 meeting, citing a failure to add amended contract language to the agenda.
Neither the city nor the Oklahoma City Police Department, which uses the license plate readers, has released the updated contract. If approved, the $270,000 agreement will define the city's relationship with the Atlanta-based company and govern the police department's use of 90 active automated license plate readers.
Oklahoma City has contracted with Flock to capture vehicle data on public roads since 2023.
The Oklahoma City Police Department says it uses the cameras to solve crimes and find missing people more quickly. Local critics worry the artificial intelligence-powered cameras are a surveillance tool that could be used to enforce immigration crackdowns or other law enforcement interests.
Crowdsourcing projects estimate there are at least 300 automated license plate cameras in the greater Oklahoma City metropolitan area.
In advance of the council's vote, the Oklahoma City Police Department posted a promotional video explaining how they use the technology. It also hinted at possible contract changes.
According to the police department, each camera monitors traffic moving in only one direction and captures still images of the backs of passing vehicles.
The system records a vehicle's license plate along with basic identifying characteristics such as its make and model, said Sgt. Dillon Quirk.
If the cameras capture a license plate that matches a vehicle marked as stolen in the National Crime Information Center, the system will immediately notify officers. Quirk said the Oklahoma City Police Department requires officers to independently verify every alert. The law enforcement agency's directives were updated to include the stipulation on June 26.
Quirk said Flock camera images are deleted on a 30-day rolling basis, unless they are otherwise "archived for evidentiary purposes." The cameras do not use facial recognition technology, nor record video or audio, Quirk said.
He said the department is also strengthening its directives governing how officers use the technology. Access to camera data is limited to authorized personnel and all system searches are logged and reviewed for compliance, he said.
At least one officer at the Oklahoma City Police Department has been sanctioned for improper use of Flock technology.
In June, the department placed an officer on a year-long disciplinary probation because he used his status to access police records for personal use, including automated license plate reader information, according to police department disciplinary documents. The officer was suspended for three days without pay.
Oklahoma City resident and anti-Flock activist Jarrett Freeman shared the misconduct records with KOSU. He requested the police department release documentation of "all disciplinary actions, complaints, and reprimands, related to the officer misuse of the Flock platform."
Though the police department provided only one record of misuse, Freeman speculates there could be more instances that didn't result in disciplinary action. The request is the latest in a trove of public records Freeman has collected on the city's use of Flock cameras.
In the police department video, Quirk also suggested that impending contract changes will end the city's participation in National Lookup, prevent federal agencies from accessing local Flock data unless they are given explicit approval, and prohibit Flock data from being used for immigration enforcement purposes.
OKC's City Council is scheduled to meet on Tuesday, August 18. A city spokesperson said an agenda for that meeting will likely be posted by the end of this week.
Abigail Siatkowski contributed to this story.
This report was produced by the Oklahoma Public Media Exchange, a collaboration of public media organizations. Help support collaborative journalism by donating at the link at the top of this webpage.
