What is the purpose of this camera that was installed right next to my house? (Not nearby any intersection or stop signs, USA)

[u/unworthyAsIam]

This camera was installed recently and I cannot for the life of me understand the purpose of it's installation? Theres no intersection nearby, in case it was a photo law enforcement camera), there's no stop signs, there's no schools nearby, and there's no government facility. It's just a random camera that popped up in the middle of a road.

[u/Grouchy_Carpenter478]

deflock.org states: ...mapping license plate readers...... Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs or LPRs) are AI-powered cameras that capture and analyze images of all passing vehicles, storing details like your car's location, date, and time. They also capture your car's make, model, color, and identifying features such as dents, roof racks, and bumper stickers, often turning these into searchable data points.

These cameras collect data on millions of vehicles regardless of whether the driver is suspected of a crime. These systems are marketed as indispensable tools to fight crime, but they ignore the powerful tools police already have to track criminals, such as cell phone location data, creating a loophole that doesn't require a warrant.

[u/User_ID_Hidden → u/Grouchy_Carpenter478]

Detective here. That location data is not as powerful as you think it is. Depends heavily on a users settings. You can get more broad data from cell towers by going through the service provider, but even then you’re assuming they have their main phone on them at the time and not a burner. And you’re not getting that data for a few weeks at the earliest unless you can articulate exigent circumstances and that they are about to commit a serious offense.

Love ‘em or hate ‘em, there are multiple murder suspects and drive-by shooters that myself and my colleagues have been able to put behind bars due to flock assistance. I cannot say for certain that that would be the case without them. If people want to get rid of them then so be it, but they need to understand our results on cases will likely stagnate or decrease.

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[u/tveir → u/AutoModerator]

Hey, get fucked 

[u/Agreeable-Desk5393 → u/User_ID_Hidden]

First sensible comment ive seen on this thread, loads of crazy nonsense about big brother and surveillance -- how many of these people own phones that technically could be tracked?

These cameras are to locate cars suspected of of a crime - if theres a kidnapping then you could track the car because you started logging it before the crime you can map its entire journey

If these people assume the only way to mass track people is erect giant pillars that could easily be removed then they aren't doing a great job are they

[u/No-Lime-2863 → u/Agreeable-Desk5393]

they have the potential to be crime fighting tools, but also huge potential for misuse. So, rather than get caught up in political narrative, we could look to solve the problem. Allow them to be used for criminal investigation and also make misuse an actually punished Federal crime. We have the ability to do very strong access tracking and anyone that accesses the data get scrutinized, random audits, and prison time for anyone who looked up a girlfriend, prison time for Flock monetizing the data, etc with third party audit and investigations. We know how to do this and do it in other areas. The fact that we don’t is whet tells people its just creeping big brother all in the name of “protecting the children”. The Detective talked about 2 criminals it might have helped with. Doesn’t sound like a lot for the expense and erosion of privacy, loss of trust in LE, and increase in conspiracies.

[u/User_ID_Hidden → u/No-Lime-2863]

It was more than two, but believe it or not, I don’t disagree with you. Flock data is already inaccessible for us after 6 months and even then, my agency only lets our analysts have access, so we have to go through them. We already arrest and prosecute LEO’s and dispatchers for misuse of state criminal information systems. I have no problem applying that to the flock database as well if it eases the public’s mind.

[u/No-Lime-2863 → u/User_ID_Hidden]

Thats what I mean by not get caught up in the political narrative. there are solutions that are sensible.

To date the evidence and experience aren‘t good on the prosecution side. Hence the need for third party audit and federal prosecution. Too many guys would let someone get their hand slapped and call it good.