Montgomery Police Detail Flock Camera System, Privacy Safeguards and Role in Local Investigations

Nicholas Mistretta

MONTGOMERY, NJ — The Montgomery Township Police Department provided a detailed look Thursday night at its use of Flock Safety automated license plate recognition cameras, explaining how the technology works, how the information it collects is controlled and how the system has assisted officers in several local investigations.

Lt. Perry led the presentation during the Aug. 6 Township Committee meeting, accompanied by Police Chief Silvio Bet and Lt. Larsen. Perry walked committee members through the department’s history with the technology, its current network of cameras, costs, privacy protections and examples of cases in which police have used the system.

The presentation was particularly timely for Headline News Montgomery, which has recently been asked to report on the Flock camera system and how it is being used in the township.

Montgomery’s involvement with Flock Safety began in December 2022, when the township approved an agreement allowing police to access automated license plate reader, or ALPR, data collected by other law enforcement agencies. At that point, Montgomery was using only the software and had no Flock cameras of its own.

The department purchased four fixed cameras and one movable “Flex” camera in September 2023. Another fixed camera was added in November 2024, followed by another in September 2025. Montgomery now operates six fixed cameras and one battery-powered temporary camera that can be moved to different locations depending on investigative needs.

Perry said the fixed cameras cost approximately $3,000 each per year, while the movable camera costs $3,500. Additional fees are charged for extended data retention, bringing the current annual cost to approximately $25,000. The equipment is leased rather than owned by the township, with maintenance, hardware replacement and software issues covered under the agreement

What the cameras do — and do not do
Perry explained that the system photographs license plates as vehicles pass a camera and converts the plate information into searchable text. Plates can then be compared against law enforcement alerts involving stolen vehicles, wanted persons, missing persons and Amber Alerts. When a match occurs, officers can receive a real-time notification.

The cameras operate continuously using solar power, with the exception of the movable unit, which is battery powered.

Perry emphasized several limitations of the technology.

The system does not use facial recognition, does not identify the driver or passengers inside a vehicle and is not used for speeding or red-light enforcement. Perry also addressed reports and concerns about whether the technology can collect information from cellphones, smartwatches, Bluetooth devices or vehicle infotainment systems. He said Flock has informed the department that its system does not contain that capability and that Montgomery police do not collect that type of data.

“It’s strictly capturing images of license plates and part of the vehicle as it passes by,” Perry explained.

He also stressed that the department does not use the system to routinely monitor residents or their day-to-day movements.

Searches require a case number and justification
A significant portion of the presentation focused on controls governing access to the database.

Perry said only authorized law enforcement personnel and certain police department civilian employees may access the system. Users are required to undergo training on state Attorney General directives, Montgomery Police Department policies, the statewide ALPR program and the Flock system itself. Training must be repeated every two years. Access is password protected and requires multifactor authentication. 

More importantly, Perry said an officer cannot simply enter a license plate into the system out of curiosity.

Every search requires a valid police case number along with a stated purpose and justification. Searches are recorded and subject to an annual internal audit, during which the department checks whether the case number was valid, whether the search was connected to that case and whether the person conducting it was an authorized and properly trained user. The audit is submitted to the New Jersey State Police. 

Questions from Township Committee members reflected some of the privacy concerns that have surrounded automated license plate readers elsewhere in the country.

Asked about reports of the technology being misused by law enforcement personnel in other jurisdictions to improperly track individuals, Perry said there have been no major violations involving Montgomery Township Police. He added later that any misuse within the department would be handled through an Internal Affairs investigation and would also have to be reported to the State Police. 

Three-year retention required
Perry said New Jersey policy currently requires ALPR information to be retained for three years and that Montgomery cannot independently shorten that period.

The information is stored in Flock’s cloud system rather than on township servers. When committee members raised questions about cybersecurity protections, Perry said vendors must meet state-level requirements before they can be approved for use by New Jersey law enforcement agencies, while noting that he could not speak specifically to all of Flock’s internal cloud-security measures. 

Perry also addressed restrictions on sharing the data. He said Montgomery shares its information only with New Jersey law enforcement agencies, including local and county departments, prosecutors, sheriffs and the State Police, and does not share its data with federal agencies or agencies outside New Jersey.

He said state law and policy also prohibit the use or sharing of ALPR information for civil immigration enforcement or for investigations involving legally protected reproductive or other health care services.

More than 250,000 plate reads in 30 days
The scale of the system was also discussed.

During questioning, committee member Herring, noted that Montgomery’s public Flock transparency portal showed approximately 252,000 license plate reads during the previous 30 days.

Perry clarified that those were plate reads, not people, and that each record represents a vehicle and plate photographed at a particular camera location at a particular time.

The cameras themselves do not determine where the vehicle came from, where it is going or who is inside, he said. Although the same vehicle could pass more than one camera, police would need a legitimate investigative reason and case number to search the information and connect individual records.

The department maintains a public transparency portal linked through the Montgomery Police Department’s webpage. According to Perry, residents can view department policies, the number of cameras in use and statistics including plate reads and searches conducted during the previous 30 days. The information is updated daily.

System credited with assisting investigations
Perry offered several examples of how the system has been used in Montgomery investigations during 2026.

In one case, police investigating the disappearance of two children’s bicycles obtained an image of a vehicle from a neighborhood camera but did not have its license plate. Investigators used the Flock system and the vehicle description to identify a plate and locate the driver. Police ultimately determined the person had mistakenly believed the bicycles had been left at the curb to be taken for free. The bicycles were returned and no charges were filed.

In another investigation, a local golf course reported trespassing and the theft of cooking oil. A surveillance camera captured a vehicle but not its plate. Police used Flock to identify the vehicle and subsequently the individual involved. The business did not pursue charges.

Perry said the system was also used to identify a reckless driver who fled from an officer into Hillsborough, assist in locating an out-of-state fugitive wanted on a criminal warrant, identify potential witnesses following a serious motor vehicle crash and locate a stolen vehicle.

He also described an investigation into thefts from the Skillman Post Office in which officers were able to place a suspect vehicle into the system and receive an alert when it entered Montgomery. An officer subsequently conducted surveillance at the post office and made contact with the vehicle’s occupants. Although the encounter did not result in charges, Perry said the reported mailbox thefts subsequently stopped. 

When asked whether the approximately $25,000 annual cost was producing sufficient value for the township, Perry pointed to the investigative leads the technology can generate much more quickly than traditional methods — particularly in cases involving missing people, stolen vehicles or suspects whose license plate was not initially known.

Chief Bet echoed that assessment, describing the system as an important public safety tool and saying its value could become even greater in a serious crime such as a home invasion or robbery, where quickly identifying and locating a suspect vehicle could be critical.

Bet called the expense “a very small price to pay for the safety of this community,” and said the department has a responsibility to use available technology to prevent and solve crimes more efficiently.

Photo Credit: Nicholas Mistretta/headlinenewsmontgomery.com