Flock Safety Cameras

The Cheyenne Police Department uses Flock Safety automatic license plate reader (ALPR) cameras as an investigative tool to support crime prevention and post-incident investigations. These cameras capture temporary still images of license plates and key vehicle characteristics, such as make, color, and distinguishing features, allowing officers to identify vehicles involved in criminal activity.

ALPR technology is an effective investigative tool that enhances public safety while respecting individual rights. The Cheyenne Police Department’s policies help ensure that ALPRs are used responsibly, constitutionally, and with a strong focus on privacy, transparency, and accountability.

Why We Use ALPR Cameras

Flock ALPR cameras provide real-time alerts and investigative leads that help officers:

  • Locate stolen vehicles
  • Identify suspect vehicles in criminal investigations
  • Find vehicles involved in violent crimes
  • Support investigations of missing, endangered, or abducted people 
  • Reduce the need for high-risk traffic stops or escalating encounters

As government-issued identifiers, license plates are legally required to be publicly visible. ALPRs take a point-in-time image of the rear of vehicles on public roadways.

How ALPR Cameras Work

Flock cameras are placed in fixed locations throughout the city. They capture still images of passing vehicles, including:

  • License plate number
  • Vehicle make, model, and color
  • Unique features like bumper stickers, roof racks, or damage

The cameras do not capture:

  • People/faces
  • Gender
  • Race/ethnicity
  • Video footage

Flock Safety images are transmitted securely via encrypted cellular connection and stored in a secure Flock Safety cloud environment. The Cheyenne Police Department owns all data and controls access, use, and retention.

Our Commitment to Privacy and Civil Rights

The Cheyenne Police Department respects the rights of all community members. Several safeguards are in place to protect the public.

Key privacy protections include:

  • Images may only be accessed for legitimate law enforcement purposes.
  • All usage is logged and auditable. Officers must provide their name, reason for search, and a case number prior to each search.
  • Images are automatically deleted after 30 days, unless they become evidence in a criminal investigation.
  • ALPR technology does not track individuals or capture personal identifiers.
  • The CPD uses two-factor authentication - only authorized personnel can access Flock Safety images.

  • The system is designed so that Flock Safety does not have ownership of the images; the Cheyenne Police Department controls access, use, and retention.

Our full policy is publicly available: https://www.cheyennepd.org/Transparency

Frequently Asked Questions

What data does Flock Safety capture?

Flock ALPRs capture still images of passing vehicles, including:

  • License plate number
  • Vehicle make, model, and color
  • Unique features like bumper stickers, roof racks, or damage

They do not collect any personally identifiable information.

What are Flock Safety images used for?

  • Criminal investigations
  • Locating missing or endangered persons 
  • Real-time alerts for vehicles involved in crime (ex: National Crime Information Center (NCIC), Amber Alerts, National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), etc.)
  • Locating stolen vehicles
  • Safety and crime-prevention efforts

Data cannot be used for immigration enforcement, traffic enforcement based solely on ALPR hits, or any non-law enforcement purpose.

How long are images stored?

Images are permanently deleted after 30 days, unless they become evidence in a criminal investigation.

Who can access Flock Safety images?

Access is strictly limited to authorized personnel who have completed required training. Every search is logged and subject to supervisory review.

Other law enforcement agencies may request access only if:

  • They are a participating Flock partner agency
  • The request is connected to an active criminal investigation
  • Their use complies with all legal and policy requirements

Who owns the data?

All data is owned by the Cheyenne Police Department. Flock Safety stores the data securely on behalf of the department, but never sells or shares data with third parties. As with other investigative tools, we share information with partnering law enforcement agencies when necessary for criminal investigations. 

What safeguards prevent misuse?

The Cheyenne Police Department has multiple layers of oversight:

  • Mandatory training for all users
  • Routine audits system access and searches
  • Restricted permissions based on job function
  • Automatic data deletion after 30 days, if not evidence in a criminal investigation
  • Two-factor authentication - only authorized personnel can access Flock Safety images.
  • Strict policy compliance is required for all personnel

Any misuse is investigated and subject to disciplinary action.

Transparency and Accountability

To maintain trust and provide visibility into how ALPR technology is used in Cheyenne, the department maintains a public Transparency Portal. The portal includes:

  • Acceptable and prohibited uses
  • The number of cameras in use
  • Searches in the last 30 days
  • Unique vehicles detected 
  • Data retention
  • Policy information 

For more information, see Flock Safety's Privacy and Ethics web page.

 

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