TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Tampa Bay area law enforcement agencies are having discussions about their policies surrounding the use of Flock cameras.

This week, Flock officials said all their clients have to make changes aimed at addressing security and safety concerns. But not everyone feels those changes will fix the larger problem.

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Zach Schira said he wants to see a Flock free St. Petersburg.

“We think this is a violation of people’s Fourth Amendment rights,” Schira said.

He’s the lead organizer for DeFlock St. Pete. They’re against the public safety technology used by multiple law enforcement agencies across Tampa Bay.

“We don’t think we should sacrifice our right to privacy for solving a few cases that probably could be solved with other technologies,” Schira said. “I think people are upset about Flock as a symbol for the surveillance we’ve been subjected to in so many ways. Our cell phones, the internet, social media. People are tired of being spied on by the government and by the tech industry.”

Brandon Barclay, the president of the Tampa Police Benevolent Association, said it’s an invaluable tool. He also said there is a lot of misinformation surrounding the tool, including how data collected by license plate readers is kept.

“They merely provide the camera, they provide the operating system, they do not have any storage capability at Flock. They possess none of the actual tags,” Barclay said. “I think it’s an invaluable tool, as long as it’s used appropriately.”

This week in Lake City, a Flock camera helped find two abducted children and arrest the suspect. Also this week, a Haines City officer was arrested and accused of using Flock to track his ex-wife more than 700 times.

“I don’t think anybody wants anybody to misuse any type of system. But in any system where humans are interjected, obviously there’s going to be some type of abuse,” Barclay said. “It can’t be an all or nothing where we can only have this program if 100% of the time it can never be misused. Somebody is going to misuse, it is just up to the agencies, to hold them accountable.”

Flock said to address the concerns about officer misuse, all law enforcement customers must use an audit tool to flag abnormal behavior. Barclay said Tampa PD already uses it. St. Pete police told 8 On Your Side they are aware of the changes and are reviewing them. Haines City PD said they plan to review it and implement it in the near future. Here’s a statement sent to 8 On Your Side from the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office:

“The Pasco Sheriff’s Office has implemented the audit tool, long before today’s announcement and is proud of our proactive policies that are in place to protect the privacy of our community. We have also already required a call for service or case number and a reason for each search.”

Here’s what the Polk County Sheriff’s Office said in response to the change with Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs):

“We have not reviewed the changes you are referring to. As a matter of policy and practice, we do not discuss ALPRs, except that we strongly support the appropriate and lawful use of ALPRs to help prevent and solve crime and find missing children and adults. We comply with all statutes related to ALPR use, including secure data storage, data retention, and access and use by only authorized personnel for law enforcement purposes only. Any person who misuses the system would be held accountable through agency discipline, or, if the actions were criminal, through criminal investigation.”

The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said they are looking into our request for information.

“I think it’s a positive move, but I think at the same time, it highlights kind of the core problem here, which is we have a private company that is overseeing a nationwide mass surveillance system,” Schira said. “If a system like this were to exist, there should be government oversight, not just the whims of a private company.”

DeFlock St. Pete is holding a meeting about Flock cameras at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 15 at the President Barack Obama Library in St. Pete.

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