Every license plate camera in Milton, Georgia, mapped

Lt. Andrew Noblett answered our written questions on the record on September 11 at 4:04 p.m. His answers are below, unedited. Our questions are shortened. Six follow-up questions went to the department on September 12; the answers go here when they come.

The August 19 traffic stop

1. How was the 911 call classified, and what was the basis for the stop?

   Dispatch classified the call as a civil dispute on the roadway, a call type commonly described by the Department as a road-rage incident. The 911 call originated in Forsyth County and was transferred to Alpharetta 911 as the vehicles entered Milton. The caller reported that a vehicle had followed him for at least 15 minutes over multiple roads and turns and said he did not want to stop while the vehicle remained behind him. Officers did not know before making contact that the other driver was a journalist. An officer stopped the vehicle to investigate the caller’s report.

2. Why did three units respond?

   This was a moving call involving two vehicles whose locations were changing. Officers approached from different directions so they could locate the vehicles and obtain separate accounts from both drivers. Additional officers eventually arrived. The initiating officer did not request emergency backup. The response reflected the call type, the changing locations and the need to speak with both drivers.

3. The stop ran about 17 minutes. What was the basis for its length?

   The stop began at approximately 3:05 p.m. About five minutes later, the initiating officer contacted the officer who was speaking with the caller. At approximately eight minutes, she advised that she was obtaining the caller’s account and would then release the driver. She returned the driver’s license and ended the detention at approximately the 10-minute mark. As you’ll see in the recording, the remaining interaction was a voluntary conversation in which the driver continued to ask questions and engage. No citation was issued.

4. Does the department have guidance for officers on encounters with the press?

   The Department has policy governing media relations and officers’ interactions with lawful newsgathering at incident scenes. This encounter arose from a call concerning the driver’s conduct, rather than from his presence as an observer covering an incident. Officers did not know before contact that he worked in the news media. A person’s occupation is immaterial to an officer’s investigation of an incident as described by the caller.

5. Is there a policy for responding to calls from a vendor’s employees or contractors?

   No. No vendor-specific response policy or special protocol applied to this call. Officers assess calls based on the information reported, the call type, the location, available personnel and any public-safety considerations.

6. The city has paid Flock Safety $341,235.62 since our records begin in October 2020. Does that relationship carry any obligation or expectation about responding to Flock personnel?

   No. The contractual relationship does not give Flock personnel priority, special standing or a different police response. The Department has no standing instruction to provide Flock employees or contractors special treatment.

7. Did the department review the encounter?

   Yes. The Department reviewed the encounter. The review found that officers did not know before contact that the driver was a journalist; the response was based on the caller’s report; and the officer returned the driver’s license at approximately the 10-minute mark after obtaining the caller’s account. The remaining recorded interaction was voluntary. The officers were professional, and no citation was issued.

The camera program

8. Are the department’s 2022 statements still accurate: still photographs, not video; not used for moving violations; not monitored around the clock?

   Yes. The cameras are not watched live around the clock, nor can they be. They capture still images and associated vehicle data rather than continuous video, and the Department does not use them to enforce moving violations.

9. How many plate reader cameras does the city operate, and can police search cameras the city does not own?

   The City operates 36 Flock readers: 33 fixed units and three mobile units. Automated license plate reader capability is also available on 39 marked Police Department vehicles. Milton users may search data shared by participating law-enforcement agencies and by private camera owners who separately authorize access. The City currently has 15 data-sharing connections with private residential and commercial entities. That sharing is one-way-private owners do not gain access to City data.

10. Who can run a search, and does a supervisor review it?

    Authorized users are Milton-certified officers and designated crime-intelligence personnel. Each authorized user has an individual account. Searches must serve a legitimate law-enforcement purpose and include the required case, CAD or purpose information. Not every search receives advance approval or individual supervisory review. All searches are logged. Flock’s audit-assistance tool flags specified searches for review, and a three-member Department audit team reviews those alerts.

11. Does Milton take part in Flock’s national lookup network, and can agencies outside Georgia search Milton’s cameras?

    Yes. Milton participates in Flock’s data-sharing program, and authorized law enforcement agencies outside Georgia can access Milton-collected data depending on the City’s sharing settings and the requesting agency’s authorization.

12. Has the department audited its own searches, and what did it find?

    Yes. The Department reviewed search activity and identified two matters that warranted further investigation as potential misuse. Both matters remain under investigation.

13. What does the plate reader “hit validation” service in the city’s checkbook pay for?

    If this question refers to Goldshield, that service supported the City’s system by validating information against the GCIC/NCIC network. The City has discontinued that service.

14. How long does the city keep plate data?

    Data collected by the City’s Flock cameras is currently searchable for 365 days. Milton previously used a 30-day retention period and extended it as part of a program upgrade to support investigations in which a lead may not emerge immediately. Milton does not host that data.