Klickitat Sheriff pushing surveillance cameras; Some say 'System ripe for abuse'
By Ken Park
Goldendale, WA, October 9, 2023— Klickitat County Sheriff's Department is aiming to participate in a pilot program with Flock Safety cameras with the goal of data collection.
Photo of Sheriff Bob Songer from KlickitatCounty.org.
Sheriff Bob Songer previously proposed the idea of the license plate tracking cameras at a Lyle Community Council meeting in September.
“We want to start off with a 30 to 60-day pilot program with three cameras with the intent to collect data to understand better and assess our needs,” Undersheriff Carmen Knopes said in an email on Friday, Oct. 6.
As to where these cameras will be located and their associated costs, that is still yet to be determined.
Sheriff Songer noted that they would be placed in “ high crime” areas across the county but did not provide a specific location.
Knopes said Lyle is a likely location due to a recent uptick in burglaries, trespassing, and illicit drug activity.
The cost of the cameras will vary based on their type and how many of each kind will be needed, Knopes added.
An early estimate from the Sheriff's Department said each camera could cost taxpayers $2,500 per year.
Knopes said that the cameras' technology could be a huge asset to the Sheriff’s Department and other regional law enforcement agencies. The Klickitat County Sheriff's Department, alone, has 15 active patrol deputies and two detectives on duty crisscrossing the county multiple times a day.
“Using technology, such as Flock cameras, would assist in the capture of stolen vehicles, wanted subjects, drug trafficking, Amber and Silver Alerts,” Knopes said. “And in the event that we have a kidnapping, active shooter, or other major crime such as a homicide where we have vehicle information could assist in the capture of those suspects and or victims.”
Flock Safety cameras use “fingerprint” technology to turn the hours of footage they record into a searchable database for law enforcement, even when the license plates are difficult to read.
The cameras are solar-powered and work anywhere there is a cell signal.
Knopes said that at least 40 other regional industries are using the Flock technology, not including private industries.
“We have a duty to protect the citizens and visitors of Klickitat County; therefore, using advanced technology such as the Flock Cameras will assist deputies in our mission to protect our residents and visitors to Klickitat County,” Knopes said.
Flock reports a 70 percent reduction in crime in areas where its technology exists.
Knopes is working with Flock Safety representative Mike Gibbens to reach out to officials at the City of White Salmon, City of Bingen, City of Goldendale, and Klickitat County Commissioners.
“It will be up to each council if they wish to have cameras in their respective cities,” Knopes said.
Though Flock Safety claims not to sell drivers' personal data collected from the footage, there are still some concerns from the public.
One Klickitat County resident, Mike, voiced his concerns about the cameras to the Klickitat Board of Commissioners at its Oct. 3 meeting.
“ While I understand our law enforcement desires to have more tools to execute their duties, as citizens, it is our duty to keep our governments in check,” Mike said. “Companies, such as Flock, that sell these systems of surveillance make their case by preying on our fears and promising to provide security if we just give them some money and allow them to keep track of our movements…I have heard that Flock claims not to share their information with federal agencies such as ICE, ATF, or the FBI. But even if that is actually true, I would be shocked and frankly disappointed if employees of those agencies cannot find a reliable way to access such a treasure trove of data.”
Mike's comments continued.
“I have also heard that Flock claims to delete its recordings after 30 days, but that would not necessarily mean that a record of your travel is deleted. Once infrastructure like this is in place, it's likely only to be upgraded, and its features become more powerful. Even if we are comfortable with the trade-offs promised today, how likely are we to remove them when more compromising features are slowly added? Another concern is when a company like Flock is sold to another company, as often happens, and the new owners acquire all the old data and customers and generally change the user agreement. These systems are ripe for abuse and a great tool for authoritarians,” Mike said.
Commissioner Dan Christopher said that he shares the same concerns and that a discussion will occur when the Sheriff's Department brings the proposal to the county.
