BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (WISH) — Bloomington Mayor Kerry Thompson said Wednesday that the city government is not renewing its contract with Flock license plate readers following a monthslong evaluation. Bloomington will look at other technologies and providers that “better balance public safety needs with privacy protections, transparency, accountability and public trust,” according to a news release issued Wednesday from the mayor’s office. The contract with Flock expired on March 5. City officials said evaluations were underway prior to March 5, when the Bloomington Common Council passed a resolution calling for additional oversight of the city’s Flock cameras and requested a report from the Bloomington Police Department regarding access to Flock data. As part of the review, the Democratic mayor directed immediate steps to narrow and govern the system’s use during the transitional period. Only Bloomington Police Department, not outside agencies, will access the Flock data. Data from Bloomington cameras was previously shared with other Indiana law enforcement agencies authorized by department policy. Sharing will no longer be allowed, and the data will not be visible to any outside agency. Outside agencies will also not be allowed to query for the data. Bloomington’s Flock System includes: 11 permanently mounted license plate reader cameras. Four permanently mounted video cameras. Four mobile trailer systems equipped for license plate reading, video recording and gunshot detection. The release says that other local jurisdictions, including Indiana University and Monroe County, use similar systems under their own policies. The license plate reader cameras capture a photo of the back of a vehicle and its license plate as it travels on a public roadway. Per Bloomington Police Department policy and reporting, the system does not: Use facial recognition. Does not contain, collect or reveal vehicle registration information such as a driver’s name or address. Does not create profiles based on personal traits or demographic information. Search results will only show a still image and timestamp tied to a vehicle observation, not a personal identity profile. The city’s review also considered documented examples of how the department solved cases using Flock, including the safe recovery of a kidnapping victim, and the identification of a suspect in a homicide investigation and a suspect in a sexual assault case. “We take civil liberties seriously. We take public safety seriously. Those are shared obligations of good government,” Thomson said in the release. “This review made clear that if this tool is used, it must be used under narrow parameters, strong accountability, and clear public safeguards. We are continuing to evaluate whether other options may better serve the community.” “Everyone in Bloomington deserves to be safe and to feel safe,” said Chief Michael Diekhoff in the release. “The goal is to support good police work with tools that are effective, carefully governed, and understood by the public. As Bloomington moves away from Flock, it is important that we do so responsibly and without creating avoidable gaps in public safety.” Diekhoff submitted a report on the city’s use of Flock on Wednesday following a memo from the mayor to the Bloomington Common Council. Both the review and the memo, along with additional information about the Flock system, will be presented at the council’s meeting starting at 6:30 p.m. April 22. ...read more read less