Flock safety cameras aid probe into Bakersfield news station shootings, leading to arrest

Flock safety cameras aid probe into Bakersfield news station shootings, leading to arrest

by Michelle Roldan, Eyewitness News

Two recently installed automatic license plate readers near popular Pleasant Grove hiking trails are raising questions about how communities balance public safety with privacy in recreation areas. (Photo: KUTV)

BAKERSFIELD, Calif.(KBAK/KBFX) — Flock Safety cameras are being cited more frequently in Bakersfield Police Department press releases, and the technology has now been included in the investigation into the two shootings at the station that led to an arrest last night.

From identifying vehicles to helping police find missing people, the cameras are providing investigators information they might otherwise take much longer to find. Even as concerns persist about surveillance and privacy, law enforcement agencies are increasingly using the technology as part of police work.

The Bakersfield Police Department uses about 130 Flock cameras across the city, according to a previous Eyewitness News report. For investigators, that provides another way to search for vehicles that may be connected to a crime.

Karl De La Guerra, an international security consultant, said the system can do more than capture a license plate.

“They're designed to look at license plates, car descriptions, and then through some very advanced AI technology they have in the package, they're able to identify particular characteristics that law enforcement might be looking for in that car, such as a broken windshield or a specific type of bumper sticker,” De La Guerra said.

State Senator Kathleen Riebe said she's received more than 100 emails over automatic license plate readers in the last three weeks. (Photo: KUTV)

He said those added details can help police search a wider area and narrow down which vehicle they need to find. In some cases, he said, the information can also help bring families answers.

“...Especially noted is how they have been capable of assisting law enforcement in finding missing persons. And that's what really matters. And that's the human side of this,” De La Guerra said.

De La Guerra said the technology has changed how police search during investigations. In the past, officers might have relied on radio calls and driven around looking for a match, but now, he said, “That process is automated.”

As more information becomes available quickly, questions also arise about who controls the data and how it is used. De La Guerra said any system that stores information can be misused if there are not rules in place.

Flock Safety has said, “Any sharing within the system is 100% up to the agency, so agencies can choose to share their data in a couple different ways.”

In previous reporting, Bakersfield police have said Flock data is stored for up to 30 days and can be shared with other California law enforcement agencies.

“So you can actually build an electronic footprint of a particular vehicle as it travels through jurisdictions that subscribe to the Flock system. That can be networked there,” De La Guerra said.

De La Guerra said keeping the public informed about how the technology is used and how data is shared is an important part of building trust around local law enforcement’s use of Flock cameras.