By: NICOLAS FIERRO
Salina Post
The Salina Police Department (SPD) provided information regarding the Automatic License Plate Reader (ALPR), better known as Flock (a company based in Atlanta, Georgia) security cameras, for the community.
Back in June 2026, Salina Commissioners renewed a 3-year contract with Flock for 22 fixed and 2 portable ALPRs for the benefit of SPD. The total costs were $198,000.00 for the fixed cameras and $21,000.00 for 2 portable ALPRs.
ALPRs are used to identify suspect vehicles, recover stolen vehicles, locate wanted individuals, and develop investigative leads in criminal cases.
According to SPD, the continued use of this system is essential to maintain operational effectiveness and avoid disruption in investigative capabilities. Furthermore, ALPR data has contributed to numerous investigations by providing timely and actionable information. The system’s ability to search partial license plates and vehicle characteristics—such as make, model, color, and unique identifiers—has proven especially valuable when witness information is limited.
During that commission meeting, many people from the public did not agree with this renewed contract and voiced opposition to the system.
Those comments included:
“We are told simply to trust, even though nationwide, there is plenty of evidence to support reasonable suspicion.”
“The system can be hacked, and the idea that this is going to be protected information is hogwash.”
“I think we need to quit giving away our liberties and freedom in any interest of safety.”
“This issue is not about being for or against law enforcement; public safety matters to all of us. The question before the commission is whether mass surveillance of ordinary residents is an acceptable price for that safety.”
On Thursday, Flock received scrutiny from lawmakers from both parties, civil liberties advocates and citizens across the U.S. that it is making changes to its platform intended to quell privacy concerns and address documented abuses of its system by some members of law enforcement.
Dozens of cities and agencies have nixed their relationships with Flock amid concerns that the data can be accessed for immigration enforcement or used in unauthorized tracking, after a flurry of examples surfaced of law enforcement officers misusing the technology for personal searches.
Thousands of law enforcement agencies in 49 states can search and share Flock's data across jurisdictions to aid their investigations.
Flock CEO Garrett Langley said many of the product changes will make what were once optional guardrails mandatory for its users to implement by January 1, 2027.
Among them: All law enforcement customers will have to implement an audit tool that’s intended to flag abnormal search behavior. When the system detects abnormal behavior, the user would be locked out pending an internal review, the company said in a description of the changes provided ahead of Thursday’s announcement.
Flock also said they are shortening the standard data retention window from 30 days to 7. It said it will allow data to be preserved for longer when it is evidence tied to a case number.
The American Civil Liberties Union said in a blog post that the shortened evidence retention window could be “a step in the right direction,” but it characterized the other changes as “retreads” of inadequate safety measures.
More than 50 agencies or jurisdictions have canceled, suspended or rejected a contract or deactivated their cameras since the beginning of the year, according to a tracker maintained by DeFlock, a grassroots group formed to track the use of license plate reader technology and push back against it. Cameras around the country have also been vandalized.
Read more: Flock makes changes amid backlash over license plate reader network
Amid the scrutiny are also those who vouch for the system.
An article was written about an elderly Kansas woman whose van was stolen, which she relied on with her wheelchair stored inside, was later recovered after law enforcement used the ALPRs.
Read more: Op-ED: How public safety technology returned my mother's independence
SPD Chief and staff share information with media for the public
SPD Chief C.J. Wise and Kyle Tonniges met with local media on August 27, for the purpose of being transparent and providing information for the public.
Wise said that he appreciates the concerns from the public and easily understands that there can be distrust amongst the public with the government.
He stated that ALPRs are under a lot of state rulings that have to do with not violating constitutional rights. Wise added that SPD officers are being monitored to ensure they are using the cameras correctly and not unconstitutional.
"This helps us as it is another tool and it acts as another set of eyes for us," said Wise.
However, Wise did say he thinks other jurisdictions across the country have handled the usage of ALPRs badly. Wise said SPD ensures no violations are being made when using the system.
"We want to make sure we have our safeguards in place. We ensure we are being good stewards of these resources by going from the perspective of working within the Constitution."
SPD started using the Flock system in 2023. Tonniges shared some statistics on how the ALPRs have contributed to the law enforcement agency, which has 72 sworn officers.
Those include:
- 108 criminal investigations.
- 75 arrests.
- $71,000 in recovered stolen property.
Approximately, SPD conducts 900 searches a month (this number can include 10 searches for one vehicle, according to Tonniges).
Moreover, Tonniges shared that Lowe's Home Improvement in Salina (3035 S. 9th St.) has 2 ALPRs. He said Lowe's shares data with them for anything criminal-related.
Both Wise and Tonniges said they have not received a complaint from anyone in the community regarding their usage of the ALPRs.
Wise said he encourages anyone from the community to speak and is willing to listen to their concerns, questions or comments about the system.
If you would like to speak with Chief Wise or an SPD staff member about the ALPRs, contact them at (785) 826-7210.