The Flock Cameras our police department has placed around the township have been a highly-effective tool for finding offenders in cases ranging from traffic accidents, to robberies, to murders.

We also use this technology to locate missing persons. When the subject of an Amber Alert is located, we often have Flock Cameras or similar technology to thank for it.

A few citizens have raised information privacy concerns surrounding the use of these cameras, but we want to assure all residents that the images are solely the property of West Chester Township. They are not shared with third-party vendors for economic gain or any other use outside law enforcement.

The West Chester Police Department stores these images on a secure, government-compliant server, and they are only accessible by authorized users for law enforcement activities. We retain these images for 30 days, unless they are used for an ongoing criminal investigation or legal case.

This technology does not include facial recognition, and it doesn’t identify the race or gender of vehicle occupants. The cameras only detect license plates and vehicle models. We have data sharing and management agreements to protect privacy and ensure proper use, much like financial institutions and human resources software vendors who handle sensitive or private information.

West Chester Township values the privacy of our citizens. Our police department strives to protect them every day, and we use this technology for that purpose and with appropriate safeguards. Residents with additional questions or concerns can submit them in the public feedback area aligned with our police department pages.

View the transparency portal here.

(Please note this page is managed by a third-party provider and is updated automatically with real-time data.)