Gulf Shores, Ala. — (GSN) — After weeks of questions and concerns from Gulf Shores residents about the city's growing network of Flock Safety cameras, Police Chief Dan Netemeyer is defending the technology while acknowledging that safeguards against misuse are essential.

The city currently has 87 Flock cameras throughout Gulf Shores after the City Council approved an $81,000 purchase of cameras and software. The system is designed primarily to capture license plates and vehicle characteristics and alert law enforcement when it detects vehicles connected to investigations or law-enforcement hotlists. Flock's technology can also allow investigators to search for specific vehicle characteristics and other visual details.

The cameras were approved before growing national scrutiny over the privacy implications of the system and the handling of the information they collect. Flock Safety officials completed full training with the Gulf Shores Police Department this week.

City officials say the system is already proving useful. The cameras have assisted with investigations involving stolen property and stolen vehicles and have helped police locate at least two people with dementia.

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But as residents have brought their concerns to the Gulf Shores City Council, questions about privacy, access and potential misuse have remained at the center of the debate.

Netemeyer, a retired FBI agent, said some of the concerns circulating about the technology are based on misinformation. At the same time, he acknowledged that improper use by law enforcement officers is a legitimate concern.

“I did 24 years in the FBI, six of which were working public corruption and we used to have cases of misuse of government computer systems that we would work and indict people all the time,” Netemeyer said. “This is nothing new.”

Netemeyer said Gulf Shores has established policies governing how officers can use the system and that he has zero tolerance for unauthorized searches.

“This community knows its police department. This chief knows his officers and the officers know this chief,” he said. “We have zero tolerance on any type of misbehavior with regard to these systems that we were entrusted to protect the citizens of this city with.”

According to the city's Flock Safety information page, officers are required to have authorization and an active incident number before conducting a query. The city says searches are logged and subject to regular audits, with unauthorized access subject to termination and prosecution. 

Netemeyer said Flock Safety also has an auditing system designed to identify potential misuse.

A small city with millions of visitors

Gulf Shores has a year-round population of just over 17,000, but millions of tourists visit the beach community each year. That creates a unique challenge for a relatively small police department. Netemeyer hopes Flock can help fill the gaps.

“We are a destination city,” he said. “Allow your police department to have the advantage of knowing if criminals, registered sex offenders or stolen vehicles are coming into this town to allow us to do our jobs more effectively and keep this city safe.”

The city says Flock cameras are not used for automated speeding or red-light enforcement and do not use facial-recognition technology. The city's FAQ also states that non-evidentiary vehicle data is automatically deleted after 30 days unless it is preserved as evidence in an active criminal investigation.

Those safeguards, however, have not eliminated concerns among residents about the amount of surveillance technology being deployed throughout the city.

Netemeyer said he understands that residents need answers and that the department is continuing to make adjustments as it gains experience with the system.

Transparency portal coming

In the next few weeks, the Gulf Shores Police Department plans to launch a new transparency portal intended to give residents a closer look at how the technology is being used.

Netemeyer said the portal will provide information about crimes solved using the system, searches conducted by officers and the number of license-plate reads.

The city says residents with questions about camera locations, privacy or oversight can contact the city or police department directly.

“I'd be glad to speak to anybody about them because the big problem that I see that's going on is the misinformation that's out there on these cameras,” Netemeyer said. “These are a tremendous tool in our belt that allows us to serve this community in a better way.”