In the next few weeks the Watertown Police Department will have access to new equipment that can capture images of license plates of passing cars. The technology is intended to help with criminal investigations, but some have expressed concerns about how it will be used, including the ACLU of Massachusetts.
City Manager George Proakis provided information about the Flock Safety program to the City Council on Nov. 25. The Flock system was approved in the Fiscal Year 2026 budget and eight cameras will be installed on major roadways in Watertown.
“What the cameras do is they capture the rear license plates of passing vehicles, similar to the way a toll camera would and upload the image onto a secure system, and the system they’re uploading it onto is accessible only by the Watertown Police Department,” Proakis said.
Watertown Police have already been assisted by information from Flock cameras set up in other communities, Proakis said.
“The reason why our Police Department brought this forward, and the reason why I believe it makes sense to keep moving forward with these is because these cameras are going to significantly contribute to public safety in Watertown,” Proakis said. “In fact, we have already benefited from the Flock safety images captured by other Massachusetts communities when they’ve been willing to share them with us. Our formal requests to other Massachusetts departments have led to arrests tied to an armed robbery in Watertown already, and helped the Police Department in locating a missing person and also helped solve a breaking and entering case in our City, as well.”
The ACLU of Mass. reached out to Watertown officials, Proakis said, expressing concerns about how Flock can be used. Proakis noted that the group did not completely oppose the use of the cameras, but had recommended conditions for using them.
A statement on the ACLU of Mass.’s website reads, in part:
“Individual departments should stop voluntarily sharing data with out-of-state and federal agencies. They should redraft contracts with Flock to ensure their department retains full control of all data they collect. Finally, police departments must adopt internal policies requiring that every Flock network search be justified by a specific, documented reason for the inquiry, clarifying to all officers and staff that a non-descriptive entry like “investigation” will not suffice.”
Proakis said that Watertown’s policy for using the data from the Flock cameras include all the group’s suggestions as well as some others.
‘The Watertown Police Department will not share any images or access with any federal agencies or any departments outside of Massachusetts,” Proakis said. “They’ll also automatically block all requests related to anything involving some of the items that have been very concerning to people in the information I’ve received about protected health care cases, about immigration cases, the sort of things that are not related to the type of criminal investigations that Massachusetts police departments spend their time doing.”
The cameras take pictures of the rear license plate of vehicles, Proakis said, and do not capture video or have a live feed. Watertown Police officers can only access the information under certain circumstances
“Internal police staff will be able to access the images, but they’ll need to document a case or investigation associated with each search they’re only if they’re looking for something related to a case,” Proakis said. “The history of all internal access will be audited by a captain in the (Watertown) Police Department each month to ensure that the internal access is being used appropriately.”
Watertown’s contract with Flock states that the City of Watertown is the sole owner of the images taken by the flock cameras in town, Proakis said, and the Police Department maintains strict control over access to the data that is captured.
“No other department or agency, internal or external, has access to it,” Proakis said.
He added that, “The Watertown Police Department will share images of the license plates, but only with other Massachusetts municipalities, and they’ll have to submit a formal request connected with a legitimate criminal investigation. Each of these requests will be reviewed and either accepted or denied by the Watertown Police Department.”
Proakis said the City will post a frequently asked questions page about the Flock cameras on the City of Watertown’s website, the WPD’s website, and the Watertown Police will host a Tuesday Night Talk focused on technology being usd in town, including Flock cameras and the body cameras worn by Watertown Police officers.