Salisbury Police respond to public concerns about Flock Safety Cameras
WICOMICO COUNTY, Md. — Community members in Wicomico County are raising concerns about Flock Safety cameras, questioning where they are installed and the limits of the surveillance technology.
County leaders and residents have expressed concerns about the use of artificial intelligence, facial recognition and whether the cameras can record conversations.
Salisbury Police Chief David Meienschein said the city’s Flock system can only search license plates and vehicle characteristics, such as color. He said officers cannot search for people based on characteristics such as race or gender.
Meienschein said the department purchased a package that does not include facial recognition or audio recording.
“Flock has the capability of doing quite a few things. It depends on what package you purchased. The City of Salisbury Police Department purchased a package that does not do facial recognition. It does not listen. So there was some concern of whether it was listening to folks as they’re walking down the street.”
Meienschein also said the cameras operate on what he described as a “closed network,” preventing local, state and federal agencies from directly accessing Salisbury’s camera system.
Salisbury Police are permitted to share photos from the cameras in the sole instance of criminal investigations with assigned case numbers, and the department maintains that they are not used for any matters related to immigration enforcement.
“If we get an agency that has a crime that occurred and they believe one of our cameras may have picked up something, they can call us and, with a valid case number, one of our authorized officers can search the system on their behalf.”
The Salisbury Police Department has also launched an online transparency portal where residents can view the department’s camera search audit.
Meienschein said the portal shows every authorized search conducted through the system, including the associated case number and the reason for the search.
“If a community member wants to go into the portal, they can click on it and it will show all of the searches that we’ve done, all the cases that an officer has logged in and done a search, and why that search was done — whatever crime was alleged. All that information is there, and that’s why we really call it transparency.”
Meienschein said misuse of the technology carries, including up to one year in jail and a $10,000 fine.
“It’s a criminal offense if someone misuses the technology. It carries up to a year in jail and a $10,000 fine for misusing the system. So we take it very seriously. It’s all public-space information. We’re not using it to surveil people on private property.”
The department is encouraging residents to visit the transparency portal to learn more about how the cameras are used.
Meienschein said the portal includes answers to about 10 of the most frequently asked questions. He said anyone with additional questions is encouraged to contact the department directly, and Salisbury police plan to continue providing updates as new questions arise.
