Public Safety Tools - ALPR, Cameras, drones, body worn cameras.
Yes, the LSPD has used FLOCK ALPR cameras in the city since 2022. The cameras assist officers with real time alerts when stolen vehicles, wanted persons or missing persons enter the city. It also allows investigators to create lead information on cases.
It captures a still image of a vehicle on a public roadway, the license plate, visible vehicle characteristics (such as color, make, and model), and the date, time, and location of that read.
It does not:
A camera records a vehicle only when that vehicle passes that camera.
No. The system does not create a personal profile or a continuous travel history of residents. Data is retained for 30 days and then automatically deleted unless it is saved to an active investigation or case file.
A search happens when an authorized user has an investigative reason and enters search criteria. Every search is logged.
The City of Lee’s Summit / Lee’s Summit Police Department owns the data collected by our cameras. It is used for law enforcement purposes only. It is not sold to third parties or the general public.
No. Private companies and the general public cannot search Lee’s Summit Police Department data.
Some social-media posts refer to Flock’s broader commercial platform, which can include cameras owned by businesses or other organizations in other places. That is not the same as giving retailers access to Lee’s Summit Police Department records.
Flock is a networked system used by many law-enforcement agencies. When an investigator does a statewide or nationwide lookup, the query can reach many participating camera networks at once. That is different from giving those organizations unrestricted access to browse Lee’s Summit data.
There are two different concepts that often get mixed together:
Outside searches of our cameras are logged and can be reviewed through network audits.
No. Lee’s Summit policy prohibits using the system for:
Hotlist alerts must be human-verified before any enforcement action is taken.
No. These are not live monitoring cameras staffed like a security desk. They generate plate reads and, when applicable, alerts tied to official hotlists (such as stolen vehicles, AMBER Alerts, and wanted-person files). Investigators search the system when they have a case or an investigative need.
30 days, on a rolling basis, unless a specific record is archived because it is part of an active investigation or case. That retention period is consistent with Missouri records schedules and with investigative needs: many crimes are not reported the same day they occur, and patterns often become clear days later.
Misuse of confidential law-enforcement data is a serious matter and is handled through investigation, policy, and discipline when warranted.
The Department currently reports 54 LPR and related cameras on its official Transparency Portal. Independent maps sometimes list higher numbers because they may include:
The official count is the Department’s portal.
Yes, all officers of the LSPD have a wearable body camera. In addition to body cameras, the police department has in-car video (dash camera) systems. The LSPD policy includes a review of officer video periodically for accountability.
Yes, the LSPD has been using drone / UAV technology since approximately 2020. The drones are used for searches for both wanted and missing persons as well as scene photography. All LSPD staff that operate UAV's are certified Part 107 Operators by the FAA and the department adheres to protocols regarding airspace and their safe operation. The department has both large drones for searching large areas and smaller, indoor capable drones that allow us to put technology into dangerous places in lieu of officers.