Flock cameras, FedEx, law enforcement, and mass surveillance

[GunRelated]

One step closer to 1984.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasbrewster/2024/06/19/fedex-police-help-cops-build-an-ai-car-surveillance-network/&ved=2ahUKEwikiumNjO2HAxXt4MkDHSAsCEsQFnoECB4QAQ&usg=AOvVaw2blVofTK2Fjan3izXqGl3P

 

[John_]

Get da flock outa here!

 

[kz45]

These things are everywhere and everybody I talk to about them has no idea about them, it's hard to notice these things while people check their social media at 50mph

 

[AustinBR]

My neighborhood had a vote in the past six months on whether to get Flock cameras or not and I spent a lot of time learning all about them and ended up being a huge proponent of them. Most folks in the area who actually did their research reached the same conclusion.

They're actually quite value-add and have a lot of built-in safeguards for access control. Our local LE cannot just look up random license plates and every single inquiry they use Flock for is logged and retained with an audit trail. There is then an independent party who monitors these to confirm that they are not being used nefariously.

 

[thperez1972]

"Do you remember consenting to being tracked each and every day of your life?"

Um...actually, yeah. I have location services on my phone turned on. In fact, I can tell you where I've gone just about every day over the past few years thanks to the timeline built into google maps. That feature has helped me out on multiple occasions.

But, despite the scare tactics used to oppose them, the cameras are not tracking people.

I have surveillance cameras on my house. Part of my system includes cameras that capture who passes in front of my house. When I say captures, I'm talking about down to the license plate of all the vehicles. License plates are not owned by the individual. They're owned by the state. People are allowed to put them on their vehicle if certain requirements are met. They are required on vehicles that the owners wish to drive on public roads. There is zero expectation of privacy with respect to the license plate on a vehicle.

I've turned over surveillance to detectives from local law enforcement on multiple occasions. So far they have all been impressed with the system as they are used to ring or vivint or other consumer friendly (low quality and non-adjustable) systems. My reply has always been the same. I put together a system that I would want to see as a detective going in to get surveillance video.

 

[John_]

"Flock cameras are license plate recognition (LPR) cameras designed by Flock Safety to help law enforcement and improve community security. They are used for surveillance and criminal investigations, and are often installed at key points like neighborhood entrances, exit routes, or along public roads.

Flock cameras capture high-resolution images of passing vehicles' license plates, and automatically tag each image with metadata like the date, time, and location. They can also capture other details about the vehicle, such as its make, model, color, and any unique features. Flock cameras have a short shutter speed, allowing them to take multiple pictures of a car traveling up to 75 miles per hour in less than a tenth of a second. They can also integrate with the FBI NCIC database of wanted vehicles, automatically alerting local law enforcement if a wanted car is detected.

Flock cameras are often powered by solar panels and rechargeable batteries, so they can operate in locations without access to electricity. They are also designed to be maintenance-free and affordable, making them a good option for use in neighborhoods and higher education institutions." (above copied from Google AI)

Cameras are coming everywhere whether you like them or not. Pretty much widespread now, any major store/mall and their parking lots, homeowners with ring and residential security cameras.
Need more LEOs and jails/prisons going forward imo. Otherwise its just catch and release like NYC or LA County. NOLA isn't much better.

 

[Bolt Head]

I don't worry about any of that. All that is going to happen whether I like it or not. I don't live a life of wrongdoing.

Hell, if they want to watch me, they'll learn how to dress. LOL

 

[AustinBR]

"Flock cameras are license plate recognition (LPR) cameras designed by Flock Safety to help law enforcement and improve community security. They are used for surveillance and criminal investigations, and are often installed at key points like neighborhood entrances, exit routes, or along public roads.

Flock cameras capture high-resolution images of passing vehicles' license plates, and automatically tag each image with metadata like the date, time, and location. They can also capture other details about the vehicle, such as its make, model, color, and any unique features. Flock cameras have a short shutter speed, allowing them to take multiple pictures of a car traveling up to 75 miles per hour in less than a tenth of a second. They can also integrate with the FBI NCIC database of wanted vehicles, automatically alerting local law enforcement if a wanted car is detected.

Flock cameras are often powered by solar panels and rechargeable batteries, so they can operate in locations without access to electricity. They are also designed to be maintenance-free and affordable, making them a good option for use in neighborhoods and higher education institutions." (above copied from Google AI)

Cameras are coming everywhere whether you like them or not. Pretty much widespread now, any major store/mall and their parking lots, homeowners with ring and residential security cameras.
Need more LEOs and jails/prisons going forward imo. Otherwise its just catch and release like NYC or LA County. NOLA isn't much better.

I live in a new(ish) neighborhood and we have had very minimal crime over the past few years. A few weeks ago some folks came into the neighborhood and were targeting parked F250s. They drove in with vehicles with no license plates.

The Flock cameras identified the vehicles without the license plate, matched slight damage on the van to another image of the van before they took the license plate off, and then matched a vehicle that was traveling with them as an accomplice.

Local PD then got warrants and had a neighboring city arrest the guys. Sure enough they had the stolen materials in their possession.

The data on the cameras is only accessible to less than 10 people and usage is heavily monitored...much more so than the computers in every LE's vehicle where they can run DL/plates/SSNs/etc.

 

[thperez1972]

"Flock cameras are license plate recognition (LPR) cameras designed by Flock Safety to help law enforcement and improve community security. They are used for surveillance and criminal investigations, and are often installed at key points like neighborhood entrances, exit routes, or along public roads.

Flock cameras capture high-resolution images of passing vehicles' license plates, and automatically tag each image with metadata like the date, time, and location. They can also capture other details about the vehicle, such as its make, model, color, and any unique features. Flock cameras have a short shutter speed, allowing them to take multiple pictures of a car traveling up to 75 miles per hour in less than a tenth of a second.

That's the main difference between "quality" cameras and budget surveillance package cameras. The camera that captured the above image is only set to 20 frames per second. But the shutter speed is 1/2000 seconds.

They can also integrate with the FBI NCIC database of wanted vehicles, automatically alerting local law enforcement if a wanted car is detected.

Flock cameras are often powered by solar panels and rechargeable batteries, so they can operate in locations without access to electricity. They are also designed to be maintenance-free and affordable, making them a good option for use in neighborhoods and higher education institutions." (above copied from Google AI)

Cameras are coming everywhere whether you like them or not. Pretty much widespread now, any major store/mall and their parking lots, homeowners with ring and residential security cameras.
Need more LEOs and jails/prisons going forward imo. Otherwise its just catch and release like NYC or LA County. NOLA isn't much better.

When I was talking to one of the detectives, they tried to get me to pitch flock systems to the HOA. When she described the system to me, it reminded me of Project NOLA in New Orleans. Project NOLA was a group run by Bryan Lagarde. People with existing systems or people looking to install a new system could volunteer to join the group. If they did, the group would have access to some of the cameras. We had access to 2 google maps. One map pulled from a database of camera locations and the contact information for the owners. The other map pulled from Project NOLA's database. I could send the group an email with the item number, the location, and what I was looking for. They would look through the cameras in the area and send any footage they could find. They have access to cameras all over the city. This was years ago before AI became a thing. I know with my limited setup, I can turn on face recognition and metadata and I can create a searchable database. I just don't because I don't need that functionality.

PROJECT N.O.L.A. NATIONAL CRIME CAMERA PROGRAM (504) 736-9187

The most successful, cost efficient, and time proven crime camera program in America, Project NOLA is a 501c3 nonprofit that helps communities significantly reduce violent crime by dramatically increasing police efficiency and community support.

www.projectnola.org

 

[machinedrummer]

Flock Me…Flock You!!

 

[Richard Michael]

Flock Me…Flock You!!

Flock it all! No discrimination

 

[Magdump]

Ah, city life.

 

[themcfarland]

Now I need to wear my hoodie in the summer and walk with a limp to disguise my walk.

There is never enough restitution for theft.
The reward for the illusion of safety and security.
We give up liberties in the illusion

 

[Kraut]

On the user end, Flock cameras are searchable about a month or so back, have to have a reason for search entered (incident/item number or some description of reason, ex. "missing person"), and as stated previously by someone above, searches are auditable. Access in our patrol division is only granted to supervisors and traffic officers who often utilize it for hit and run cases. Mostly it is used to identify stolen vehicles when they "hit," or confirm a vehicle's presence near a crime scene when a plate is given by a witness. It can be searched with more specification, but in my experience it brings back either nothing or overly broad selections, dependent on the particular variables selected. It misreads a lot, depending on angle of view and similar letters, the supervisors kind of screen to determine if it looks like a valid hit before broadcasting the info to the shift. The ones in our local system often go a day or more without a hit of any kind. Expanding to the larger grouping we can access (cooperative neighboring jurisdictions) exceeds 200+ cameras, and would drive a supervisor batty listening to alerts from all of those cameras all day long for entries of lesser priority in areas we don't work. They're easily identifiable at the roadside, any criminal with intent and some bit of motivation to plan first can easily avoid them.

 

[thperez1972]

Now I need to wear my hoodie in the summer and walk with a limp to disguise my walk.

There is never enough restitution for theft.
The reward for the illusion of safety and security.
We give up liberties in the illusion

 

[krotsman]

Spoiler alert, it cannot.

 

[Gator 45/70]

We caught ''Minister Crackhead '' whom burgled my garage 2 years ago not by his Flocking plates since he had removed them prior to driving around but by his Obammaa phone in his pocket.
Now the DA's office is useless as **** on a boar hog since Minister Crackhead's rap sheet started out in 1984.
We have a revolving door justice system in La.

 

[jdindadell]

TL.DR , well I read enough to see some making a positive case for mass surveillance...

Guys (both genders) we are on a pro gun board... We are all on the "wrong side" of the mainstream. Keep that in mind. Just cause YOU think you are doing nothing wrong, does not mean that THEY think the same.

Yeah, I know, who is THEY? Am I being a conspiracy nut, bla bla bla. Look around the trees, there is a whole forest out there. Just cause you choose to keep your head in the sand does not mean the world stops spinning.

Mass surveillance and AI will be/is being used to keep track of everything, how much this will affect the average person is up for debate, but it WILL affect everyone in some way.

Cameras may be handy, but somehow humanity made it this far without them documenting every last thing that goes on. And nothing is safe or secure when it comes to digital info. The next greatest hacker is just warming up, ready to steal info and exploit it. Just look at the latest CDK breach and how it affected millions.

 

[lesgeaux]

All one has to do is rewatch the English Series that used to be aired in the 60s-70s, THE PRISONER, to realize we are going to be him.

 

[foz1359]

Lagarde is brilliant -selling gear online for his "for profit" biz and then selling the same gear, cloud fees and who knows what else online for his "non-profit" biz. I remember when we were interested in installs, he was the only game in NOLA carrying the Dahua cameras. Bought one 1.3MP IP bullet from him to get the ball rolling and paid $300 ish not knowing the right price was actually less than $100. But for the $300 he included the nickel tour of his startup program Project NOLA (used to be in Elmwood). I was shocked at the walls and walls of monitors they had running in there, kinda dark and people with headphones on staring at them, others scurrying around like rats. I'm sure the new facility and most recent tech would be something to see.

It's stupid we have to punish all of society and criminals can practice their craft with impunity. Younger fellas don't know what life for some of us used to be like -peaceful neighborhoods, unlocked cars, unlocked homes, genuine community. I've lived in small town USA and watched drug crimes completely ruin it. Same thing's happening all around me here -so my system monitor is tucked up there above my living room television.