美国警察为Flock自动车牌识别系统辩护

美国警察近期为Flock Safety的自动车牌识别（ALPR）摄像头系统辩护。该公司年订费为3000美元，美国近30%的警务机构已订阅该服务 1。虽然Flock在过去一个月因隐私担忧遭遇强烈反对，超过150个城市已停用或取消合同 1，但支持者认为该技术通过精准执法减少了对守法公民的侵扰。

采用Flock的警务机构车辆盗窃案件破获率相对增加15.9%，全国平均破获率从8.2%升至9.5% 1。大西洋城在扩展ALPR网络后，月均机动车盗窃案下降20%、财产犯罪下降34%、致命枪击案下降近40% 1。

在隐私保护方面，Flock已建立多项审计保护机制。该系统数据保留期从30天缩短至7天，每次搜索和热表输入均需记录案号和理由 1。此外，Flock不能搜索个人或识别驾驶者身份 1。2026年1月，弗吉尼亚州联邦法官裁定，单次扫描车牌"不侵犯任何隐私利益" 1。

虽然存在滥用案例，但Institute for Justice在2024年进行的研究发现全美51起滥用案件中，几乎所有涉案警官均被刑事指控并失业 1。

A U.S. police officer has written to defend Flock Safety's automated license plate recognition (ALPR) camera system amid a wave of privacy concerns that has prompted over 150 cities to cancel contracts with the company 1. The officer argues that the technology enables more precise enforcement while reducing intrusions on law-abiding citizens 1.

Flock charges $3,000 annually and is already used by police agencies in nearly 30 percent of U.S. jurisdictions 1. Agencies deploying the system have seen vehicle theft clearance rates rise relatively by 15.9 percent, pushing the national average from 8.2 percent to 9.5 percent 1. Atlantic City, which expanded its ALPR network, experienced a 20 percent drop in monthly auto thefts, a 34 percent decline in property crimes, and a nearly 40 percent reduction in fatal shootings 1. The officer contends that despite documented misuse cases—a 2024 Institute for Justice study identified 51 instances of abuse nationwide, with nearly all implicated officers facing criminal charges and dismissal 1—courts have recognized the technology as a constitutional law enforcement tool 1.

Flock has implemented safeguards including reducing data retention from 30 days to 7 days and requiring case numbers and justifications for every search and hot list query 1. In January 2026, a federal judge in Virginia ruled that a single license plate scan does not infringe any privacy interest 1. The company's system cannot search for individuals or identify drivers 1.