Are Your Local Police Using Flock Safety ALPRs to Scan for Immigrants?

• Local law enforcement agencies in the U.S. are using Flock Safety automated license plate readers (ALPRs) to cross-reference vehicle data with an ICE-managed "Immigration Violator" hotlist.
• The list contains license plates linked to administrative warrants and is separate from standard criminal hotlists.
• Some agencies utilize this system despite having local policies or laws that prohibit police involvement in immigration enforcement.

Surveillance Mechanism

• Flock Safety ALPRs compare captured license plates against "hotlists" curated from the FBI's National Crime Information Center (NCIC).
• While local agencies manage most NCIC topics, the "Immigration Violator" category is exclusively controlled by ICE.
• Selecting this category in the Flock Safety interface triggers alerts for vehicles ICE identifies as being of interest, potentially leading local officers to initiate stops.

Investigation and Oversight

• Many agencies obscure which specific NCIC lists they activate, necessitating public records requests for transparency.
• EFF has identified agencies that have enabled the "Immigration Violator" list, including the Blue Island Police Department (IL) and Sparks Police Department (NV).
• Activists are encouraged to investigate local usage by:
  • Researching agency use of Flock Safety via resources like AtlasofSurveillance.org and EyesonFlock.com.
  • Filing formal public records requests using template language provided by EFF to identify active NCIC topics.
  • Engaging with city officials to demand accountability, especially if an agency claims to prohibit immigration enforcement while still maintaining access to the list.