full image - Repost: My local sheriffs response (from Reddit.com, My local sheriffs response)
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This isn't really a gripe or complaint, well it is but it isn't. Since I've been banned from the what's happening in Hoxie page for asking about my missing mail repeatedly. I was wondering if anyone here knew why the county has been installing flock cameras around the county. So I am all for security but at what price to our privacy. And anyone who says they don't keep records of the license plates, dates, times ect hasn't paid much attention to national news. So why the need for these cameras in a very rural area with minimal traffic and are the logs public info? A court recently ruled that they are supposed to be. If so where do we file to gain access to them? Thank youThat is a fair question.Even in a very rural county with “minimal traffic”, we sit between larger communities and along travel corridors that are routinely used by individuals transporting narcotics, stolen property, and fugitives. Rural areas are often targeted specifically because criminals believe there is less law enforcement presence and fewer technological tools. The reality is that crimes do not start and stop at county lines or bigger cities. Vehicles/people move between jurisdictions, and having the ability to identify those vehicles in real time gives us an investigative lead that we would not otherwise have.Here in Sheridan County, the impact has already been significant. Because of Flock technology, we were able to make one of the largest methamphetamine seizures in our county’s history. Through further investigations it was determined that the meth was making its way back into our community. We have also located two elderly individuals suffering from dementia who were reported missing from other counties and were traveling through our area. In situations like that, minutes matter.As to whether logs are public information, requests in Kansas are governed by the Kansas Open Records Act (K.S.A. 45-215 et seq.). While Kansas law favors transparency, it also clearly provides exemptions for certain law enforcement records. Under K.S.A. 45-221(a), criminal investigation records are exempt from disclosure. Additionally, records that would reveal law enforcement techniques, procedures, or security measures are not required to be disclosed if release would jeopardize public safety.With respect to camera locations specifically, Kansas law does not require the Sheriff’s Office to publicly disclose the precise placement of law enforcement equipment or investigative tools when doing so could compromise their effectiveness. Publicly identifying exact locations would allow individuals engaged in criminal activity to deliberately avoid those areas, which defeats the public safety purpose. For that reason, disclosure of specific camera locations is not required under Kansas law.If someone wishes to submit a records request, they may do so through the Sheriff’s Office pursuant to KORA procedures, and each request will be reviewed in accordance with Kansas statutes and applicable exemptions.We understand the importance of privacy and transparency. These cameras do not provide personal information such as registered owner names or addresses, and they do not monitor private property. They are simply a tool to assist in serious investigations and to help protect our community.I also think it is important to recognize the broader reality. Everywhere you go today there are cameras and monitoring systems. Whether it is license plate readers, private business surveillance cameras, doorbell cameras, dash cameras, cell phones tracking location data, or computer network monitoring technology is part of modern life. That is simply the world we live in. The key difference is that law enforcement use of technology is governed by policy, auditing, retention limits, and statutory oversight.If anyone would like to have a respectful conversation about it, I am always willing to discuss it. I appreciate the question!
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