Flock Cameras In Haverford Twp.? Top Cop Says He Wants 'Nothing To Do' With Them

HAVERFORD TOWNSHIP, PA — The Haverford Township Police Department does not partner with Flock Safety due to concerns about the company's data practices, says Police Chief John Viola.

Flock, a company with a network of AI-powered cameras, has faced widespread backlash. While many police departments use the technology — including cameras that automatically record passing vehicles — critics say the cameras constitute warrantless mass surveillance and lead to false arrests. Several officers aroun the U.S. have also been accused of using the tech to stalk their exes and personal connections.

Like many Philadelphia-area law-enforcement agencies, Haverford Township Police partner with VIPR — a different company that produces automated license-plate readers.

VIPR says its mobile and stationary cameras track license plates and vehicle color, make and model, helping police with matters such as finding stolen vehicles.

Only authorized law enforcement can access the data, whereas Flock markets its products to homeowners and businesses.

"We didn't go with Flock for a simple reason," Viola told the Township Commissioners at Tuesday's meeting. "Flock allows their storage to be used by security companies, supermarkets — anybody that has the cameras. We didn't like that. We wanted nothing to do with that."

There are automated license-plate readers stationed throughout the region. And Viola says they've been mounted in Haverford Township Police vehicles for at least a decade.

VIPR develops AI-powered technology. But the company says its system is limited to vehicle and license-plate tracking to limit the potential for bias-driven outcomes.

"At VIPR, we recognize that AI technologies inherit the biases of those who develop, deploy, or use them in the field, and that these flaws can cause unexpected or unsafe results for both law enforcement and the communities they serve," VIPR says on its website. "That's why we're committed to vehicle and license plate recognition."

But the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) raises concerns about automated license-plate readers, since they track all vehicles — unlike traffic cameras that are triggered by speeding or cars running red lights.

"ALPR cameras are not triggered by any specific action or event," the ACLU says. "Instead, ALPR cameras are constantly recording and tracking the movements of everything that enters their field of view and logging it into a mass surveillance database."