In light of recent events throughout Connecticut, and the country, regarding the use of Flock Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) cameras, I thought it best that the Suffield Police Department provide information on the technology and what we have here in town. First, Flock cameras are designed to be stationary and placed at various locations in a town or city. The camera will read each license plate that crosses in its path and subsequently check it with the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database to determine if the vehicle or registered owner may be wanted in connection with criminal activity, as well as be a missing person or involved in an Amber Alert, or if it is stolen. In speaking with the public, their primary concerns have typically been the feeling of an invasion of privacy (police state/big brother), misuse of the system, who has access to the data captured by the cameras and where that information is stored. As a result of those concerns, many towns have pulled Flock cameras from use until some of those questions can be answered. The Town of Suffield does NOT use Flock cameras. Suffield PD did ask for funding for Flock cameras back in FY 23 and FY 24 through the budget process, however the funds were never approved.
In 2020 Connecticut passed the Police Accountability Bill, which required that each Police Department have body worn and dash-mounted cameras. Additionally, the Department is required to maintain a policy outlining the use of the cameras and access to the information. As a result of those requirements, Suffield Police entered into an agreement with Axon, a law enforcement vendor for training, tasers and body and dash- mounted cameras. Our contract was renewed late in 2024, which provided for new cameras in January 2025. The new dash- mounted camera has ALPR technology, meaning that as an Officer drives their patrol vehicle through Town, the camera is reading all of the license plates that it passes. Our cameras are being run in the NCIC database against only the following records: Missing Person, Stolen Plate, Stolen Vehicle, Arrest Warrants. Should there be an alert, the Officer will be notified by the computer inside the patrol vehicle, and they will confirm if the plate in the alert is the same on the vehicle they see. If so, a motor vehicle stop will be conducted, and appropriate enforcement action will be taken. If the plate does not match the alert, then the alert will be removed, and everyone continues on with their day. Our Officers are trained in the use of the system and our policy (which can be found on our website), which provides the parameters for searching data in the system.
The data obtained from the ALPR cameras is held in the Axon cloud, as maintaining our own server would be costly. The data remains with Axon and is not provided to any third party without the consent of the Suffield Police Department. Based upon changes in Connecticut statutes in 2026, specifically to the statute governing the use of the cameras, the data and retention periods beginning October 1st, we have made the appropriate changes to our policy. It should be noted that our policy is very clear in that access to the ALPR data is authorized only for investigative purposes and that the data is only held for 21 days. Audits are conducted every 30 days to ensure that the policy is being adhered to. Our policy can be found on our website. I would also note that should there be a misuse of the system, not only would it result in an Internal Affairs investigation and disciplinary action, but it would also constitute the elements of 53a-254 Computer Crimes in the third degree – a class D felony which carries potential imprisonment for up to five years. This criminal statute applies to all computer systems used by the Suffield Police Department.
The ALPR technology employed by the Suffield Police Department is intended to assist Officers in locating wanted/missing persons (inclusive of runaways) and stolen/wanted motor vehicles. Often times, stolen vehicles are used in the commission of crimes and many of these suspects have criminal records. The hope is that if a vehicle alerts, we are assisting in the prevention of criminal activity taking place here in Suffield. Additionally, we would be in a better position to return stolen property and ensure the well-being of any missing or endangered person.
We are always available to answer any questions that you may have regarding ALPR technology, and I hope that this information is helpful in demonstrating how we use it to benefit the residents in Suffield.