By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
A recent Wichita-based lawsuit involving that city’s use of Flock Safety automated license plate readers, and other uses of artificial intelligence to track the movements of residents, has caused unease in many residents across the state. Monday night, Great Bend Chief of Police Steve Haulmark spoke to the city council to clarify the limitations of the technology.
“Standard Flock Safety license plate reader cameras cannot directly capture or intercept cell phone data, text messages, or phone calls,” Haulmark said. “They are optical camera systems designed to capture still images of vehicles, read license plates, and log physical characteristics like vehicle make, model, and color.”
Haulmark said the primary responsibility of the police department is to protect residents, businesses, and visitors of the city. The Flock cameras are a force-multiplier that helps officers work more efficiently while providing investigative leads.
“LPR cameras have proven to be an effective investigative tool in multiple cases here in Great Bend, to include kidnapping, fraud - a vehicle and suspect who victimized a local resident out of $60,000 was able to be tracked to Dallas, Texas, and it aided in a suspect’s arrest,” Haulmark said.
The cameras also helped locate a rape suspect out of northeast Kansas, and helped in felony criminal damage investigation in which approximately $75,000 in damages was done to a local ATM. The cameras have assisted officers locate multiple stolen vehicles and stolen license plates, locate wanted suspects and runaways, and assisted in drug investigations.
“Smaller communities like ours often serve as pass throughs between larger cities and interstate highways,” said Haulmark. “Criminals frequently avoid major highways where law enforcement is more visible, and instead travel secondary roads through rural communities hoping to pass unnoticed. Strategically placed cameras can provide immediate notification when one of the vehicles enters or leaves our city, allowing officers to respond quickly. Further, visible technology can discourage criminal activity. Individuals who know their vehicles may be identified during the commission of a crime may be less likely to target communities that utilize modern investigative tools.”
While the cameras can only provide a vehicle description, place, and time in a photograph, the city also utilizes AI technology to analyze tag information. However, the system cannot track cell phones and does not utilize facial-recognition technology. Haulmark said the technology is the equivalent of a human officer noting each passing car with a pencil and pad of paper, though the technology can do the work much quicker.
Great Bend Police Department follows all state and federal regulations regarding the license plate readers, and all searches are logged. The city has utilized the technology since 2023 with no complaints regarding improper use. The city currently uses 20 Flock cameras with only three collecting data within the heart of city limits.