GoKawiilKey Points Flock is recommending a 7-day ALPR data retention period and introducing Evidence Mode to preserve specific data for active investigations when needed.
New offense filtering, required Audit Assistance, proactive lockouts, and required case codes will give agencies more control while strengthening oversight of system use.
Flock is strengthening data security through mandatory multi-factor authentication, an independent security review by Bishop Fox, and a new Coordinated Vulnerability Disclosure program.
Customers retain ownership and control of their data, while Flock is expanding transparency and reinforcing safeguards around ALPR accuracy, access, sharing, and review.
I want to share several updates on how Flock is further addressing three areas that are critical to the company: strengthening privacy, accountability, and security.
Privacy
When we started Flock 9 years ago, we set the default ALPR retention period to 30 days, unless state or local policy decided on a shorter or longer period. We believed this struck a careful balance between safety and privacy.
Today, we are updating our recommendation and default to a 7-day retention, and introducing “Evidence Mode.” Our analysis shows that over 90% of searches without a full plate are done within a week. Evidence Mode, which will roll out in the coming weeks, addresses the exceptional cases that take longer: detectives can preserve specific ALPR data as evidence for an active investigation in cold storage, consistent with existing laws and policies.
Existing customers will keep their current, democratically approved retention periods. Customers who adopt the 7-day recommendation will receive Evidence Mode at no cost. Every community will continue to choose the retention period that fits its public safety strategy.
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