By Robert Simels
Originally published in amNewYork on
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Robert Simels looks at two technologies he believes are being turned against the public. The first is Flock, a license plate reader company whose cameras, according to the company, now scan roads in more than 6,000 communities with more than 120,000 cameras.
Simels describes searches of the Flock network tied to protests, searches aimed at Romani people, and a search connected to an abortion in Texas. He also recounts cases in which officers used the system to stalk people, including a Georgia police chief who looked up the license plates of his former girlfriend and her teenage daughter roughly 600 times, and a former California deputy who was convicted of stalking a former fiancée with the help of the system.
Flock responded with changes, including an audit tool and a shorter standard data retention window, cut from 30 days to 7. Simels calls these changes a bandage and argues that searches of the network should require judicial oversight. He mentions a public website, Have I Been Flocked, that lets people check public search logs.
The second technology is a stun device built into patrol gloves, known as the G.L.O.V.E., which ICE plans to buy. Simels summarizes the usage rules that come with the device and doubts they will be followed, given the agency's record on use of force. He calls for real oversight and training before such tools are deployed.
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This page is a summary prepared for robertsimels.com. The full commentary was published by amNewYork and remains on amNewYork's site.
Robert Simels. Robert Simels hosts the podcast Injustice for All and serves as a consultant on criminal justice matters. He is no longer practicing law.
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