Flock Safety Transparency Portal: Transparency, Accountability & Public Safety
The Lucas County Sheriff’s Office is committed to transparency and accountability in the use of technology that supports public safety. This page provides the community with information about our use of Flock Safety Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) technology, including how the system is used, the safeguards in place, and how it can assist law enforcement.
How Flock Technology Helps
Flock ALPR technology provides law enforcement with information that can assist in developing investigative leads involving vehicles. It can help deputies and investigators:
- Assist in locating missing or endangered persons.
- Locate stolen vehicles and vehicles associated with criminal investigations.
- Identify vehicles connected to reported crimes.
- Develop investigative leads.
- Share information with authorized law enforcement agencies when permitted.
Flock is an investigative tool. It does not replace traditional police work, witness interviews, evidence collection, or investigative judgment.
Protecting Privacy
The Sheriff's Office recognizes that the use of technology by law enforcement raises legitimate questions about privacy and government access to information. Those concerns deserve clear answers.
Flock ALPR technology:
- Does not use facial recognition.
- Does not identify the person driving or occupying a vehicle.
- Does not provide deputies with a live video feed of motorists.
- Is not intended to monitor the everyday activities of law-abiding citizens.
- Is not used by the Lucas County Sheriff’s Office for immigration-enforcement searches or searches related to reproductive healthcare.
- Is strictly prohibited from being accessed, searched, or utilized for any personal, non-law-enforcement, or unauthorized purpose.
Data, Access & Information Sharing
Information collected through the Flock system is subject to established policies, access controls, and retention requirements. Searches are conducted for legitimate law-enforcement purposes, and access to the system is limited to authorized users.
The Sheriff’s Office does not sell, license, or provide Flock data to private companies or other third parties for commercial use. Access to Flock information is limited to authorized law enforcement use and may be shared with authorized law enforcement partners only when permitted and for a legitimate law enforcement or public safety purpose.
Public Search Audit
As part of our commitment to transparency, this portal provides a Public Search Audit containing limited information about searches conducted through the Flock system.
The audit may include the date and time of a search and a general law enforcement purpose category. To protect ongoing investigations, victims, witnesses, officers, and sensitive law enforcement information, the public audit does not display license plate numbers, officer identities, case numbers, specific investigative details, or other information that could compromise an investigation.
Accountability & Public Safety
Technology used by law enforcement should be accompanied by responsibility, oversight, and transparency. The Lucas County Sheriff’s Office believes the public has a right to understand how Flock technology is being used while recognizing that certain investigative information must remain protected.
Flock technology has assisted law enforcement in developing leads, locating vehicles and missing persons, and investigating criminal activity. At the same time, we recognize the importance of protecting individual privacy and ensuring the technology is used appropriately.
Our commitment is straightforward. To use Flock technology responsibly, protect constitutional rights and individual privacy, maintain appropriate safeguards, and provide the public with meaningful information about how this technology is used. As the technology, laws, and community expectations continue to evolve, the Sheriff’s Office will remain attentive to all perspectives, regularly evaluate our practices and available safeguards, and make adjustments when appropriate. Our goal is to strike a responsible balance between using effective public safety tools and protecting the rights, freedoms, and trust of every person we serve in our communities.
You can access the portal here: Lucas County S/O Transparency Portal
You can access the ALPR Policy and Procedure here:License Plate Readers (ALPR).pdf