Indio’s network of Flock cameras is raising new questions about privacy, data access and who can see information collected from vehicles traveling around the city.
The city has 72 cameras that photograph license plates and record where vehicles have been. Indio police say the information helps solve crimes and is deleted after 30 days. But the Roggin Report discussion focused on what happens before that information disappears — and who has access to it.
According to the segment, Indio police officers, dispatchers and certain employees can access the Flock system. The information can also be shared with other law enforcement agencies.
That has prompted a broader question: Should Indio publicly identify every outside agency that can search its camera data?
HR professional Cherie Johnson said she believes residents should be able to access that information without having to go through a lengthy public-records process.
“I think that data should be available to the public upon request,” Johnson said. “Not saying like a public records request where you have to wait months to get that information, but I think it should be accessible to the public.”
Sothebys International realtor Nick Collins expressed stronger concerns about the amount of information being collected. He questioned how comfortable people should be with the government having a 30-day record of where their vehicles have been.
Collins also raised concerns about what could happen if the information were accessed improperly.
“They could basically build a case against you if it got into the wrong hands,” Collins said, pointing to concerns about people potentially using law enforcement access to look up information about former partners or spouses.
The discussion comes as a national investigation has raised additional questions about the security of Flock cameras themselves, according to the segment.
Indio police are also inviting members of the public to visit the police department on Tuesday and Thursday to see the system firsthand. The demonstrations are intended to show residents how the cameras operate and how the information they collect is handled.
For the Coachella Valley, the conversation highlights the tension surrounding modern surveillance technology: cameras can provide law enforcement with information that may help solve crimes, but residents are also asking how that information is protected and who gets to access it.
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