A local television reporter was briefly questioned by police while conducting field research on a story about police surveillance company Flock Safety.
The incident occurred in mid-August when WANF (Channel 46) reporter Brendan Keefe was photographing an installer of automated license plate reader (ALPR) cameras.
The station says Keefe was parked on a public street and was close to, but not immediately near, the Flock Safety installer, who was not named in its report.
At some point, the installer decided to leave the scene, and Keefe began following the employee in his vehicle, prompting the installer to call police.
In 9-1-1 audio released by WANF, the installer said he was concerned for his safety.
“I was getting harassed, pretty much, (he was) taking videos and pictures,” the installer claimed. “And now, the same vehicle that pulled over where I was working at has been following me.”
The installer provided a detailed description of Keefe’s clothing and vehicle, and police pulled him over a short time later.
“I’m a member of the press, and I was following at a distance because I’m documenting them putting up Flock cameras. I’m an investigative reporter,” Keefe said on bodycamera footage obtained and released by WANF.
A police officer later confirmed that Keefe was following the installer but “not, like, right on his bumper.”
“He said, yeah, he was following him to where he was trying to catch this person on video setting up the Flock cameras, but it was not to where you know so close as to break any laws or give the appearance he was stalking him, or anything like that,” the officer said.
The officer cautioned Keefe about identifying the installer on the news, saying the man had legitimate concerns about his safety and that of his family. A spokesperson for Flock Safety later affirmed that its employees are told to call police if they feel they are being threatened by members of the public.
“We do not object to members of the public or press photographing Flock cameras or personnel in public,” the spokesperson said. “Employees and contractors working in the field are expected to prioritize their safety and may contact law enforcement when they believe they are being threatened, harassed, followed, or otherwise face a safety concern.”
The incident comes at a time when Flock Safety cameras have received a considerable amount of attention and scrutiny from members of the public, who question whether the company’s purported commitment to public safety and partnerships with law enforcement is worth the trade off of an ongoing dragnet surveillance operation with limited oversight and transparency.
News stories focused on misuse of Flock Safety cameras and information databases by police officers has only fueled mistrust by the public and some lawmakers. Those stories include detailed accounts of officers using Flock Safety cameras to stalk love interests and, in one case, give detailed information about a woman to her alleged abuser.
Other concerns involve how Flock Safety permits local and regional police departments to share information from its cameras with other agencies, including federal immigration officials. Those worries were elevated after reports surfaced indicating Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers were able to access locally-gathered Flock Safety information without much restraint. Flock Safety does not have a direct contract with ICE, but nothing prevents local law enforcement agencies from sharing Flock Safety-gathered data with the agency.
