Flock Safety Cameras FAQs
The City of Watertown Police Department will be installing Flock Safety cameras in Watertown to assist in investigations. Please read the below FAQs to learn more about the program, its benefits, data sharing, transparency, and more.
You can also find the FAQs on the Watertown Police Department's website.
General Flock Safety Camera Questions
QuestionWhat is a Flock Safety camera?
Flock Safety cameras are physical cameras that are placed along major Watertown roadways that capture images of the rear license plates of passing vehicles.
QuestionWhen are Flock Safety cameras going to be installed in Watertown?
The eight Flock Safety cameras are expected to be installed in late 2025 or early 2026.
QuestionWhat are the benefits of Flock Safety cameras?
Flock Safety cameras in other communities have proven to be beneficial in solving investigations happening in Watertown. The Watertown Police department has submitted requests to neighboring cities and towns for images that could help identify suspects of Watertown crimes. The Flock cameras have been directly beneficial in the arrest of two individuals responsible for an armed robbery, locating a missing person, solving a breaking and entering case, and many others.
The cameras in surrounding communities are proving to be an invaluable tool to Watertown investigations.
QuestionWhat information does the Flock Safety camera capture?
The cameras capture simple details of the rear of a vehicle, include the color, make, and license plate.
QuestionDo the Flock Safety cameras take images or videos of vehicles?
Flock cameras take images only. They do not take any videos.
QuestionAre the Cameras monitored live, or are they only reviewed after an incident?
The cameras only capture images and take no videos. There is no “live feed” of the cameras, and the images are not reviewed live. Watertown Police Department only reviews the images captured when there is a need associated with specific case or investigation.
QuestionDo the images capture the driver of vehicles?
The Flock Safety cameras only capture the rear of passing vehicles and do not capture the faces of the driver or passenger of the vehicle.
QuestionDo the Flock Safety images capture pedestrians or cyclists?
Photos are taken of the rear of a vehicle as it passes, and the camera uses infrared technology to capture the license plates of the car. Anything that is not reflective or illuminated (such as the light pattern of the car) will be completely dark. The cameras do not go off for a passing pedestrian or a cyclist passing the cameras.
QuestionHow are these different than the existing cameras that capture license plates?
License plate recognition cameras (LPRs) take still photos exclusively of the license plate, while Flock Safety cameras use technology to capture a clear, accurate image of a car’s rear license plate and organize it based on the car’s physical description and unique features to help Police Departments more easily find data that can assist in an investigation.
Flock Safety Camera Data, Security, and Transparency Questions
QuestionWho owns the images taken on Flock Safety cameras?
The City of Watertown Police Department owns all images and the data taken by the Flock Safety cameras. In the City of Watertown’s contract with Flock Safety, it states: “Flock does not own and shall not sell Customer Generated Data.”
To read the contract between the City of Watertown and Flock Safety, see here.
QuestionWho has access to the images taken on the Flock Safety cameras?
Only the City of Watertown Police Department has access to the images taken on the cameras in Watertown. When Watertown Police personnel need to access images taken on the Flock cameras, those personnel must document the reason before accessing the database. These documented reasons are reviewed in monthly audits of the usage to ensure continued proper use of the system (see more information about audits in the question below).
No other departments or agencies have access to the Watertown Police Department’s Flock Safety images without a formal request being filed and accepted by the Watertown Police Department.
To receive images, other local police departments must submit formal requests to the Watertown Police Department. The Watertown Police Department will review each request and determine whether they will accept or deny the request. Accepted images are released to the requesting department, however the City of Watertown maintains ownership of those images and the images are not allowed to be shared by the requesting department without acceptance by the Watertown Police Department.
QuestionWhat safeguards are in place to prevent misuse or unauthorized access to the data gathered?
The data captured by the Flock Safety cameras in Watertown is encrypted and stored on a secure system only accessible to the Watertown Police Department. The police department has an internal policy that Watertown Police personnel are only allowed to access the database when it is directly associated with a case or incident that data captured by the Flock Safety camera data can assist. In order to access the images, Watertown Police personnel must document this reasoning into the system when accessing the database.
Every 30 days, the Watertown Police Department’s Captain of the Administrative Bureau will audit the Department’s access to ensure its proper use. These audits’ findings will be made available on the Watertown Police Department’s transparency portal, which will be live after the program’s role out in early 2026.
QuestionDoes the Watertown Police Department share images with other departments or agencies?
The City of Watertown Police Department (WPD) will only share images with requesting local departments in Massachusetts as part of their policy. The WPD reviews every request (no requests are automatically accepted) and will only share a requested image with the requesting local department. That requesting department is prohibited from sharing that image with any additional department or agency.
The Watertown Police Department will also be blocking/rejecting all requests related to immigration and will only accept formal requests made from local departments. The WPD will not share data with federal agencies.
QuestionDoes the City of Watertown share images with federal agencies?
No. The Watertown Police Department only shares Flock Safety images with requesting local departments in Massachusetts. Any requests from federal agencies or non-Massachusetts Departments will be denied.
QuestionDo other departments have access to the database of photos taken in Watertown?
The only way for other local police departments to receive images taken in Watertown is to file a formal request with the City of Watertown’s Police Department (WPD) with detailed information about why they are requesting that information. All requests are reviewed and either accepted or denied by the authorized personnel at the Watertown Police Department in accordance with its policies. Only the WPD has access to the database of images taken Watertown.
QuestionHow long are images stored?
Images and the subsequent data are stored for and deleted after 30 days for privacy and security purposes. All images and metadata are encrypted throughout its entire lifecycle, from on-device, to storage in the cloud.