PEARL RIVER COUNTY — Pearl River County is working to install license plate readers at four locations along Interstate 59 and other highways amid questions about privacy and how long the data they collect will be kept.
County bid documents identify four initial camera locations, with the potential to add stationary units as needed.
The planned locations are:
— Interstate 59 northbound and southbound near Exit 1 at the south end of the county
— Highway 26 and Highway 43, known as Crossroads, at the west end of the county
— Interstate 59 at the mile marker 39.5 overpass at the north end of the county
— Highway 53 at Barth Road at the east end of the county
Highway 53 at Barth Road, at the eastern end of Pearl River County, is one of four locations where license plate readers are planned. Credit: JC Roberts/RHCJCA memorandum of understanding between the Mississippi Transportation Commission and the Pearl River County Sheriff’s Office addresses placing license plate readers and other law enforcement devices on the right-of-way.
The county sought bids for the system in June before awarding the contract to Flock Safety in August. The county has not announced a specific date for the cameras to become fully operational.
Pearl River County Administrator Adrian Lumpkin said the sheriff’s office requested the system and believes the cameras can help investigators locate vehicles connected to criminal investigations.
“It’s an investigative tool, and I think it can be very useful and help the sheriff’s (office) solve crimes,” Lumpkin said. “We recovered a vehicle not too long ago in Louisiana through the use of ALPR that was stolen from Pearl River County.”
Lumpkin said he hopes the sheriff’s office uses the technology responsibly and remains aware of potential security risks.
“I will not tell you that it can’t be misused, but that’s not the camera’s fault. That’s the person that doesn’t need to be in law enforcement,” Lumpkin said. “As long as it’s used properly and we have the safeguards on it, I think it can be successful.”
“If any one of our officers was ever caught misusing it, I think they should be fired and out of law enforcement,” he said.
The county’s specific policies for data retention, officer access, searches and auditing were not available in the records obtained by RHCJC News.
RHCJC News contacted Sheriff David Allison for information about the cameras, including the planned retention period, access policies and whether information collected by the cameras could be shared with other law enforcement agencies. Allison did not respond to requests for comment.
Flock Safety’s current policy says its license plate reader system can collect license plate and vehicle images, vehicle characteristics, the plate number, state, date, time and camera location. The company says the system does not collect drivers’ identities, facial recognition data or biometric data.
A Pearl River County sign stands along a highway. The county awarded Flock Safety a contract for license plate readers in August but has not announced when the cameras will become operational. Credit: JC Roberts/RHCJCPoplarville resident Benjamin Neff attended Board of Supervisors meetings after learning about the proposed cameras.
“I do not feel like we’ve been given enough information on how the system will work,” Neff said. “I want our security concerns to be addressed. I want the abuse concerns addressed.”
Neff also questioned how long information collected by the cameras would be retained and who would have access to it.
Flock Safety recommends a seven-day retention period for new law enforcement customers, but the company says communities can establish different retention periods based on their policies and applicable law.
The company’s policy also prohibits users from disseminating license plate reader data to people who are not authorized to access or use it. The company says searches and system use are subject to security and auditing controls.
Concerns about Flock cameras extend beyond Pearl River County as other Mississippi communities adopt similar systems.
Ocean Springs resident Seth Cooke said the spread of Flock cameras across Mississippi prompted him to start a petition calling for the technology to be banned statewide.
Cooke said he believes the technology raises concerns about the Fourth Amendment and government overreach.
“Truthfully, we’re already tracked enough as it is. I don’t think something this advanced should be used,” Cooke said.
Cooke said he is also concerned about who can access information collected by the cameras. His petition has over 200 signatures, and he hopes to use that support to raise the issue with local officials and eventually state lawmakers.
“Now, while it’s still almost in its infancy stages here, action needs to be taken,” Cooke said.
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