Flock worker calls police on reporter filming public camera installation
Flock worker calls police on reporter filming public camera installation
Flock Safety员工报警，因记者拍摄其公共摄像头安装过程
MILTON, Georgia (InvestigateTV) — Flock Safety has felt the heat this summer from coast to coast as criticism of its automated license plate readers and AI-powered security technology has increased, and a growing number of alleged misuse cases have further turned up the temperature on the debate. 佐治亚州米尔顿（InvestigateTV）——今年夏天，Flock Safety 公司在全美范围内备受压力。随着对其自动车牌识别系统（ALPR）和人工智能安防技术的批评声日益高涨，加上一系列涉嫌滥用的案例被曝光，关于该技术的争议进一步升温。
The company announced changes it said address the heart of the majority’s concern — privacy — but civil rights activists and many community leaders remain unconvinced. 该公司宣布了一些旨在解决公众核心关切——即隐私问题——的改革措施，但民权活动人士和许多社区领袖对此并不买账。
Numerous communities have canceled their contracts with Flock in recent weeks, and lawmakers at all levels of government have discussed or already implemented outright bans on ALPR technology in response to public pressure. 近几周，许多社区取消了与 Flock 的合同。为了回应公众压力，各级政府的立法者也已开始讨论，甚至已经实施了对 ALPR 技术的全面禁令。
However, there are many places where local law enforcement’s relationship with Flock and its network of roughly 120,000 license plate readers have continued or been reaffirmed, with the company telling one trade publication its growth has outpaced cancellations 10-to-1. 然而，在许多地方，当地执法部门与 Flock 及其拥有约 12 万个车牌识别器的网络之间的合作关系仍在继续或得到巩固。该公司向一家行业刊物透露，其业务增长速度是合同取消速度的 10 倍。
That means new devices continue to appear as jurisdictions add to their inventory or upgrade their equipment — including one that was being installed on Aug. 19 on a suburban street outside of Atlanta, not far from the home of InvestigateTV’s Brendan Keefe. 这意味着随着各地政府增加库存或升级设备，新的监控设备不断出现——其中一台于 8 月 19 日在亚特兰大郊外的一条街道上进行安装，距离 InvestigateTV 记者 Brendan Keefe 的家不远。
In mid August, this Flock Safety camera in suburban Atlanta, not far from the home of InvestigateTV/Atlanta News First investigative reporter Brendan Keefe, was being updated by a worker who called 911 after Keefe attempted to get video. 8 月中旬，在亚特兰大郊区，InvestigateTV/Atlanta News First 调查记者 Brendan Keefe 家附近，一名工作人员正在升级一台 Flock Safety 摄像头。当 Keefe 试图拍摄视频时，该工作人员拨打了 911。
Three police cars ended up in the national investigative reporter’s rearview mirror that Wednesday afternoon after he tried to film the technician installing an upgraded camera on a public street, shown in his video story at the top of this story. 那个周三下午，这位全国性调查记者在公共街道上拍摄技术人员安装升级版摄像头后，他的后视镜里出现了三辆警车。相关画面已展示在本文顶部的视频报道中。
The stop is one of at least two documented cases this year in which those working for Flock Safety called police on people engaging in the same category of public recording into which the company asserts its technology fits. 此次拦截是今年记录在案的至少两起案例之一，Flock Safety 的工作人员对正在进行公共拍摄的人员报警，而该公司却声称其技术本身就适用于公共场所。
After a family member spotted the Flock camera being worked on, Keefe drove to the location to document the camera being set up. Keefe parked on the public street at a distance, donned a yellow safety vest and a hat emblazoned with the logo of InvestigateTV’s Atlanta affiliate where he also works, displayed a press placard on his dashboard and then pulled out a camera to record the installation. 在家人发现有人正在处理 Flock 摄像头后，Keefe 开车前往现场进行记录。Keefe 将车停在远处的公共街道上，穿上黄色安全背心，戴上一顶印有他所供职的 InvestigateTV 亚特兰大分部标志的帽子，在仪表盘上放置了新闻证件，随后拿出摄像机开始记录安装过程。
As Keefe began to shoot video, the installer saw him and immediately packed up his equipment and drove away, so Keefe also returned to his car and followed several cars behind, hoping to document the next stop. The technician called 911. 当 Keefe 开始拍摄时，安装人员发现了他，随即收拾设备开车离开。Keefe 也回到车里，跟在几辆车后，希望能记录下下一个安装点。此时，技术人员拨打了 911。
“I work with Flock Safety. And I called originally because I’m getting followed,” the installer can be heard telling a dispatcher after being transferred. “I was getting harassed, pretty much. Taking videos and pictures. And now, the same vehicle that pulled over where I was working at has been following me.” “我为 Flock Safety 工作。我报警是因为我被跟踪了，”在电话转接后，可以听到安装人员对调度员说，“我基本上是在被骚扰。有人在拍视频和照片。现在，那辆在我工作地点停下的车一直在跟着我。”
He described Keefe’s car and, later, Keefe himself, down to his hat and high-visibility vest. Minutes later, after entering the town of Milton, Georgia, a police officer pulled Keefe over and was later joined by two other units. 他描述了 Keefe 的车，随后又描述了 Keefe 本人，甚至连他的帽子和高能见度背心都描述得一清二楚。几分钟后，在进入佐治亚州米尔顿市时，一名警察将 Keefe 拦下，随后又有两辆警车赶到支援。
When the officer approached, Keefe explained who he was and what he was doing. “I’m a member of the press, and I was following at a distance because I’m documenting them putting up Flock cameras. I’m an investigative reporter,” Keefe can be heard saying on video. 当警察走近时，Keefe 解释了自己的身份和正在做的事情。“我是新闻工作者，我保持距离跟随是因为我在记录他们安装 Flock 摄像头的过程。我是一名调查记者，”在视频中可以听到 Keefe 这样说道。
Body camera footage shows that while Keefe waited on the shoulder, the officer called a supervisor to explain the situation. “He said that, yeah, he was following him to where he was trying to catch this person on video setting up the Flock cameras, but it was not to where you know so close as to break any laws or give the appearance he was stalking him, or anything like that. Yeah, he was following him, but he was not chasing him.” 执法记录仪显示，当 Keefe 在路肩等待时，警察打电话给上级说明情况。“他说，是的，他确实在跟随，目的是为了拍摄此人安装 Flock 摄像头的过程，但并没有近到触犯法律或看起来像是在跟踪对方。是的，他在跟随，但他并没有在追逐。”
The officer told Keefe the installer was concerned about being identified. According to the officer, those given the job of installing Flock cameras have been told “just to not engage” in such situations. The officer said the installer was also concerned about privacy. “And his worry more than anything is that, you know, he’s just an employee. Anybody like you and me. And now he’s going to be in the news and he doesn’t know if it’s going to be targeted at him or his family.” 警察告诉 Keefe，安装人员担心被曝光身份。据警察称，负责安装 Flock 摄像头的人员被告知在遇到此类情况时“不要进行接触”。警察表示，安装人员还担心隐私问题。“他最担心的是，他只是一个普通员工，和你我一样。现在他要上新闻了，他不知道这是否会给他或他的家人带来麻烦。”
Keefe asked if the officer was suggesting the installer was entitled to privacy while working in public. “So just to be clear, he’s entitled to his privacy in a public place?” Keefe asked. “Isn’t that the whole argument that people are criticizing Flock for?” “I’m not saying that. I’m just letting you know what he’s concerned about,” the officer said. Keefe 询问警察是否认为安装人员在公共场所工作时享有隐私权。“所以明确一下，他在公共场所享有隐私权？”Keefe 问道，“这不正是人们批评 Flock 的核心论点吗？”“我不是那个意思。我只是告诉你他在担心什么，”警察回答道。
However, during the exchange, the officer did make a comment about press coverage. “I know, media, you know, the First Amendment and all of that,” she said. “But also, we should probably be a little more careful on who we put on TV and stuff like that.” 然而，在交谈过程中，这名警察确实对新闻报道发表了评论。“我知道，媒体，你知道，第一修正案之类的，”她说，“但我们也应该对把谁放上电视这类事情更加谨慎一点。”
About 17 minutes after the stop began, the responding officers returned to their vehicles and Keefe was allowed to drive away. In an emailed response to questions from InvestigateTV about documenting installation of Flock devices and if the company has guidance or policies surrounding how employees or contractors are instructed to respond, a spokesperson said: “We do not object to members of the public or…” 拦截开始约 17 分钟后，出警人员回到车内，Keefe 被允许离开。在回复 InvestigateTV 关于记录 Flock 设备安装过程以及公司是否有相关员工或承包商应对指南的邮件询问时，发言人表示：“我们并不反对公众或……”