Submitted By
Shatonya Johnson, Police Chief
Reviewed By
Ahmad M. Zayyad, Deputy Village Manager
Agenda Item Title
Title
A Resolution Approving the Renewal of the Services Agreement with Flock Group Inc. for License Plate Recognition Cameras and Software Services in an Amount Not to Exceed $60,000 for a Two-Year Term and Authorizing its Execution
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Overview
Overview
The Police Department seeks the renewal of the Services Agreement with Flock Group Inc. for a two-year term. The current two-year Services Agreement expires on July 7, 2024.
Flock ALPRs
Flock’s ALPRs capture computer-readable images of license plates and vehicles which allows police officers to compare plate numbers against those of stolen cars or wanted individuals on a crime database like the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) and Law Enforcement Agencies Data System (LEADS). The Flock system is used as an objective, real-time investigative tool to assist the Police Department in identifying stolen/wanted vehicles as they enter the Village’s jurisdiction.
The ALPRs are motion-activated and take high-resolution pictures of the rear of the vehicle, focusing on license plates. After a picture is taken, the software analyzes the license plate and distinguishes the letters, numbers, and state of the plate. Additionally, the software can also analyze the color, make, and model of the vehicle.
Flock accesses the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database which is linked to the Law Enforcement Automated Data System (LEADS) to determine if a vehicle is stolen or if used in the commission of a violent crime or associated with a missing person. LEADS is the statewide computerized database that provides data and communications for criminal justice agencies within Illinois. The agency that inputs stolen vehicles into LEADS is the only agency that can remove recovered stolen vehicles. Flock alerts classify carjacked vehicles as stolen vehicles and additional information regarding vehicles is provided by LEADS.
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Recommendation
Recommendation
The Police Department recommends renew the Flock contract, with the additional ALPRs which will expand the scope for utilization and alerts. The additional ALPRs would provide more coverage in areas where the Village has been impacted by an increase in crime. The expansion in utilization would increase the Police Department’s capacity to detect more vehicles involved in criminal activities. The use of Flock ALPR supports the Board Goal of Community Health & Safety, Priority 1: Reduce Crime (e) Develop and implement a strategy for data-informed policing to prevent and reduce crime and allocate resources effectively.
If the Village Board approves the renewal of the contract, the Police Department will institute an additional verification step on certain alerts before officers initiate certain stops. Additionally, the Police Department will develop metrics to determine the effectiveness as outlined in the surveillance technology oversight ordinance which is also being considered by the Village Board.
Background
On November 21, 2021, in response to the uptick in violence within the Village, especially with regard to carjackings, the Police Department entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Flock that allowed the Department to access its database and dashboard for investigative purposes without any financial commitment.
On March 21, 2022, the Police Department recommended the Village Board approve the implementation of 20 ALPRs as an investigative tool based on the Village’s crime statistics. On April 4, 2022, the Village Board approved a Services Agreement with Flock for eight (8) ALPRs, to be utilized for the following specific purposes: missing persons, stolen vehicles and violent offenses. Due to concerns related to privacy and police accountability, the Police Department was directed to engage with the Civic Information Systems Commission (CISC) and the Citizens Police Oversight Committee (CPOC) to review the Police Department’s operational policy (General Order) regarding the ALPRs. After seventeen (17) versions were reviewed, the Police Department developed a comprehensive policy that provided protocols on the use, collection, access, dissemination, retention and purging of ALPR data to ensure that the information is used for legitimate law enforcement purposes only and the privacy, civil rights and civil liberties of individuals are not violated. Per policy, the Police Department would provide CPOC with a monthly report of all searches conducted and the results from any stops initiated due to alerts.
On August 3, 2022, the Police Department implemented usage of the ALPRs after all personnel were trained on the technology and the operational policy.
Flock Usage
Since implementation, the Police Department has utilized Flock within the parameters outlined in the operational policy with the goal of:
1. Efficient Investigations
2. Deterrence
3. Community Safety
Efficient Investigations
Flock is accessed daily by the Detective Bureau as an investigative tool to assist with more efficiently providing closure to victims of violent crimes. Investigative tools are devices, technology or software utilized by staff to ascertain more information about an event, scene or person(s). This data assists detectives with developing more evidence to solve a crime. Flock ALPRs helps detectives in narrowing the search radius; determining the route suspects traveled; and filtering their search based on specific characteristics of a vehicle.
Deterrence
The Patrol Division commonly responds to the area of Flock alerts to locate a vehicle that triggered the alert. The mere presence of police deters crimes, even if an investigative stop is not initiated.
Community Safety
The ultimate goal of the Police Department procuring the ALPRs is to provide community safety through police presence, initiating investigative stops and as an investigative tool/resource. The combined utilization of this objective technology and other police strategies has yielded a safer community.
Flock Statistic Data
The Police Department has been utilizing ALPRs for nearly two years and has reported usage to CPOC as outlined in the policy for twenty (20) months. The data within this memorandum reflects information consistent with the report provided to CPOC monthly. The Police Department initiated or attempted to initiate 65 investigative stops on vehicles. Based on the data, some of the stops are classified in multiple categories. The following is a comprehensive illustration of the police’s efforts:
• 14 - Arrests
• 18 - Assist other Agencies
• 6 - Confiscation of guns
• 32 - Attempt Stops
• 11 - Delay in LEADS removal of stolen vehicle
The Police Department provided the above information as suggested by CPOC in 2022 to determine the Flock’s effectiveness/operational use. The Police Department has been responsive to CPOC’s requests regarding modifying the data reported to the committee.
Flock Safety Expansion
ALPRs are prevalent in law enforcement agencies, nationwide. Three major companies are used in the Chicagoland area: Flock, Genetec and Motorola. Flock has grown exponentially since the Police Department’s research in 2022. Initially, 107 agencies throughout Illinois utilized Flock ALPRs. Since Oak Park’s implementation in 2022, that number has grown to over 155 agencies within the Chicagoland area, including the City of Evanston, which has 18 Flock ALPRs.
CPOC Meeting and Memorandum
A vote to cancel the Flock contract was placed on the CPOC’s agenda for May 20, 2024. During this meeting, several members from CPOC expressed their concerns regarding the race of the drivers stopped by officers for vehicles that were once stolen but were not removed from LEADS once recovered. Additionally, several members questioned the Police Department's lack of metrics to measure the effectiveness of Flock. Eight citizens provided public comments, three were against Flock usage and five supported the Police’s use of Flock. Despite the majority of comments in support of Flock usage, the committee voted to recommend the non-renewal of the Flock contract by a vote of four (4) to three (3).
On May 29, 2024, the members of CPOC who voted to cancel the Flock contract submitted a memorandum to the Village Board to provide additional insight for their recommendation. The memorandum, similar to the Freedom to Thrive report on Flock, cited only a portion of data from the monthly reports submitted to the CPOC by the Police Department. The memorandum contains certain generalizations without facts or data to support these generalizations. The Police Department will respond to the CPOC members’ memorandum in a separate memorandum.
Crime Statistical Data
While the Village has experienced a slight increase in crime since the pandemic, crime against property remains the largest category of criminal offenses that has impacted the community the most. Vehicular hijackings (carjackings) are included in this category. It is widely known throughout law enforcement that subjects are no longer stealing vehicles to joyride. It has become evident that stolen vehicles are being used to commit more crimes and the offenders are now stealing license plates and placing them on stolen vehicles to evade law enforcement. This presents a challenge for the Police Department due to the limited scope for Flock alerts.
Fiscal Impact
The previous resolution adopted on April 4, 2022, authorized the execution of the Services Agreement in an amount not to exceed $51,000.
The costs for the proposed Renewal of the Agreement are as follows:
|
FLOCK SAFETY RENEWAL PLATFORM |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Flock ALPR |
Quantity |
Cost |
Total Cost |
|
Falcon Camera |
8 |
$3,000.00 |
$24,000.00 |
|
Flock Safety Falcon |
1 |
$2,500.00 |
$2,500.00 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Flock OS Essentials Make up to Minimum |
Minimum |
$30,000.00 |
$3,500.00 |
|
Subtotal Year 1 |
|
|
$30,000.00 |
|
Annual Recurring Total |
|
|
$30,000.00 |
|
Total Over Two Years |
|
|
$60,000.00 |
|
|
|
|
|
Flock OS Essentials costs $30,000 for a police department of the Village’s size. This product is included only if the department meets the $30,000 threshold. If the department does not meet the threshold, the Village will pay the difference or lose access to Flock Essentials. The Flock Essentials product allows the department to access Flock equipment outside of the current eight (8) license plate readers.
The cost for the Renewal is funded in the General Fund External Support account number 1001.42400.101.530667.
DEI Impact
There are ongoing conversations on the intersectionality of the role technology can play in improving overall public safety and how communities of color will be impacted. New technology can offer many advantages in increasing the efficiency of police departments. Well-designed technology can be less biased that human decision-making. However, communities of color remain concerned that new tools and technologies may continue to have a disparate impact on their communities.
One of the CPOC’s primary concerns regarding the Flock ALPR technology was the disparate impact of stops on Black drivers, in particular, those stops that resulted from Flock alerts that indicated a stolen vehicle. In multiple cases following a stop resulting from an alert, the Oak Park Police Department conducted a preliminary investigation and identified the vehicle was no longer stolen, despite being identified as stolen in the Leads database. In these cases, a non-Oak Park Police Department had failed to timely remove the vehicle from the database.
Despite no citizen complaints as a result of these stops, the experience of being pulled over can have a negative effect on motorists. The Oak Park Police Department remains committed to improving community relations with the residents it serves.
Alternatives
1. Renew the Flock Safety contract, supplement it with additional ALPRs, and expand the scope for utilization and alerts.
Advantages:
• More effective coverage.
• More analytical data to review as part of a criminal investigation.
• Expansion of the scope to address emerging crime trends.
• Proactive response to areas that currently lack coverage.
• Objective real-time alerts regarding stolen vehicles, vehicles involved in violent crimes, and missing persons.
• Assists the Detective Bureau in accelerating investigations
• Further confiscation of guns to make the community safer.
• Supports Board Goal of Community Health & Safety, Priority 1, Reduce Crime, (e). Aid in data-informed police strategies.
Disadvantages:
• Despite mitigating strategies to minimize stops that result from delayed LEADS updates by other jurisdictions, stops may still exist.
• Outside agencies have access to search Oak Park’s ALPRs.
2. Renew the Flock Safety contract and maintain current ALPR allocations.
Advantages:
• Objective real-time alerts regarding stolen vehicles, vehicles involved in violent crimes, and missing persons.
• Assists the Detective Bureau in accelerating investigations.
• Further confiscation of guns to make the community safer.
• Supports Board Goal of Community Health & Safety, Priority 1, Reduce Crime, (e). Aid in data-informed police strategies.
Disadvantages:
• Despite mitigating strategies to minimize stops that result from delayed LEADS updates by other jurisdictions, stops may still exist.
• Outside agencies have access to search Oak Park’s ALPRs.
3. Renew the Flock Safety contract and limit the use to investigative searches only.
Advantages:
• Eliminates stops due to delayed LEADS updates.
• Assists the Detective Bureau in accelerating investigations.
Disadvantages:
• Eliminates objective real-time alerts for officers in the field regarding stolen vehicles, vehicles involved in violent crimes, and missing persons.
• Limits the confiscation of guns from individuals involved in criminal offenses.
• Hinders the Police Department’s recruitment and retention efforts.
• Outside agencies have access to search Oak Park’s ALPRs.
• Without the added support from technology that is widely used nationwide, this option would put further strain on police resources.
4. Cancel the Flock Safety contract.
Advantages:
• Other agencies do not have access to the Village’s technology.
Disadvantages:
• Eliminates the Police Department’s ability to be proactive through Flock alerts.
• Limits the Detective Bureau’s efficiency.
• Hinders the Police Department’s recruitment and retention efforts.
• Without Flock, there may be an increase in the possibility of subjective stops.
• Creates safety vulnerabilities should criminals possess knowledge of a lack of technology.
• Without the added support from technology that is widely used nationwide, this option would put further strain on police resources.
Previous Board Action
The Board approved the Flock Services Agreement on April 4, 2022, and approved funding in the External Support Account # 1001.42400.101.530667
Citizen Advisory Commission Action
In addition to involving the Citizens Police Oversight Committee in the drafting of the OPPD’s policy, the Village Board of Trustees assigned oversight of the Flock automated license plate readers to the committee. Each month, committee members review reports of the number of stops and attempted stops that are a direct result of the Flock ALPR alerts and the investigative searches conducted by OPPD using the Flock technology. On May 20, 2024, the CPOC voted 4-3 to recommend the cancellation of the Flock contract to the Board of Trustees. A video recording of the CPOC meeting is available for public view at <https://oak-park.granicus.com/player/clip/2510?view_id=3&redirect=true>
Anticipated Future Actions/Commitments
N/A
Intergovernmental Cooperation Opportunities
N/A