Locals and guests to the area may have noticed two Flock cameras recently installed along M-123. One points north at the southern edge of the Newberry Correctional Facility (NCF), and the other points south toward the northern end of the NCF.
The widely-criticized cameras are known for collecting large amounts of data as vehicles pass by.
The Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) has an agreement with the Flock Safety company to automatically read license plates that pass by the prison.
MDOC Public Information Officer Jennie Riehle said the cameras do not collect or store personal data, like names and addresses.
Cameras capture vehicle details such as make, color, body type, and plates, which may assist with criminal investigations, Riehle said. MDOC owns and controls 100% of this data. Data is stored on secure, encrypted cloud servers, and access is limited to authorized users designated by the department.
Data is kept for a fixed period of 30 days and then permanently deleted unless it has been downloaded as part of an active investigation.
