The Briarcliff Manor Police Department would like to clarify some recent discussion surrounding the national controversy involving Flock cameras.
Briarcliff Manor does not use Flock cameras. Our department utilizes License Plate Readers (LPRs) as an investigative and public-safety tool to help keep our residents and community safe.
Recently, an LPR alert notified our officers that a stolen vehicle may have entered the Village during the early morning hours. Officers immediately began checking the area and located the vehicle parked in front of a driveway. The occupants were in the driveway when they observed the police presence. They quickly entered the vehicle and fled from officers.
The occupants were subsequently apprehended in Putnam County.
This is a real example of how LPR technology can provide law enforcement with an important investigative lead and potentially prevent a dangerous situation from escalating in our community.
How Briarcliff Manor’s LPR System Is Different
- Not part of any national network: Briarcliff Manor’s cameras are not Flock cameras and are not connected to a commercial, nationally searchable database.
- Government controlled: Data is stored on a government-owned server operated by law enforcement through the regional Real Time Crime Center partnership, rather than on a private company’s cloud.
- No third-party access: There is no integration with third-party companies or data brokers.
- Limited law-enforcement access: Access is restricted to authorized local law enforcement personnel, and searches of historical information require an active criminal investigation.
- Plates, not people: The cameras capture license plates. They do not use facial recognition or identify drivers or passengers. They are not speed cameras and do not issue traffic tickets. A vehicle whose plate does not generate an alert simply passes through.
- Limited retention: Consistent with applicable New York State Municipal Police Training Council standards, records are retained for two years and then permanently deleted.
Our goal is simple: use technology responsibly to give our officers another tool to protect the community while maintaining appropriate safeguards for privacy.
The recent recovery of a stolen vehicle demonstrates the value of that technology. LPRs don’t replace good police work — they give our officers information that can help them do their jobs more effectively and keep our residents safe.