A 92-year-old man missing from Cortland County was safely located during the morning of August 31 following a real-time alert from Flock Safety’s Automated License Plate Recognition (ALPR) system in North Lansing, according to the Tompkins County Sheriff’s Office.
At approximately 9:13 a.m., deputies were notified by the Flock system that a vehicle linked to the missing person case had been detected. The alert was triggered after a TCSO sergeant entered the vehicle’s information into the system during the previous shift, as part of a joint effort with the Cortland County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies quickly intercepted the vehicle in the parking lot of the Mirabito Gas Station at 32 Peruville Road. The elderly driver, who appeared confused, told deputies he had been driving all night trying to find his way home.
He was safely returned to Cortland with assistance from local authorities.
“This case highlights how technology, when paired with strong collaboration between agencies, can bring about safe and successful outcomes,” Sheriff Derek Osborne said in a Sept. 1 statement on the man’s recovery.
Flock cameras: Safety or surveillance?
While Sunday’s outcome underscores the potential life-saving utility of Flock Safety’s ALPR technology, its broader use in Tompkins County and Ithaca has sparked growing concern among residents and civil liberties advocates.
Flock Safety, an Atlanta-based company, has rapidly expanded its network of AI-powered license plate readers and gunshot detection devices across the U.S., claiming partnerships with more than 2,000 law enforcement agencies.
Flock cameras, often mounted on poles and powered by solar panels, capture not only license plates but also vehicle make, model, color, and distinguishing features like bumper stickers or roof racks.
Ithaca and Tompkins County have deployed at least 20 Flock cameras each to date. Data collected by the cameras is stored in a cloud-based system for 30 days and can be shared with over 100 agencies, including the federal U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
License plate data sharing has raised red flags in a community that prides itself on sanctuary city values. Surveillance critics – including the organized Ban The Cams! movement founded in 2009 – argue the system could be used to circumvent local policies protecting undocumented residents, and that Flock data has been accessed by federal agencies like ICE in other municipalities.
Flock Safety insists its mission is to reduce crime and improve public safety.
The company recently halted its federal pilot programs after admitting to poorly communicated data-sharing practices with agencies like Homeland Security. It now requires federal users to obtain explicit permission from local agencies before accessing data.
This article originally appeared on Ithaca Journal: Flock cameras help locate missing Cortland man despite ongoing privacy debate
Reporting by Jacob Mack, Ithaca Journal / Ithaca Journal
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