LPR Transparency Portal

Camera Program & Transparency

The Phelps County Sheriff's Department is committed to being transparent about our automated license plate reader (LPR) camera program. You may have heard these called "Flock cameras" — that's the brand name most people know This page explains what these cameras do, what they don't do, and how we protect your privacy.

LPR Cameras vs Typical Smartphone:

Common Technology	Typical Smartphone & Apps	LPR Camera
Knows where you are	Often, if location services are enabled	Only when a vehicle passes a camera location
Knows who you communicate with	Yes	No
Knows where you shop	Often	No
Knows your internet searches	Yes	No
Knows who is driving	Sometimes	No
Records conversations	Some applications may	No
Collects license plate information	Sometimes	Yes
Sells or shares information for advertising	Often	No
Typical data retention	Months or years (varies by provider)	30 days unless retained as criminal evidence
Primary purpose	Commercial services and convenience	Public safety and criminal investigations

(Last 30 days)

Rank	Offense Type	Number of Searches	Percentage of Searches
1	Drugs/Narcotics	112	21.60%
2	Burglary/Breaking & Entering	107	20.60%
3	Traffic Infraction	100	19.30%
4	Animal Offenses (cruelty/neglect)	34	6.60%
5	Stolen Property Offenses	32	6.20%
6	Assault/Battery Offenses (Domestic)	25	4.80%
7	Bribery	20	3.90%
8	Welfare Check	13	2.50%
9	Alcohol Offenses (Non-DUI)	13	2.50%
10	City Planning/Traffic Analysis	12	2.30%
11	Motor Vehicle Theft/Stolen	11	2.10%
12	Extortion/Blackmail	8	1.50%
13	Assault/Battery Offenses	6	1.20%
14	Threats/Harassment	5	1.00%
15	Missing/Endangered Person/Runaway	4	0.80%
16	Destruction/Damage/Vandalism of Property	3	0.60%
17	Arson	3	0.60%
18	Disorderly Conduct/Disturbance	3	0.60%
19	Hit and Run/Car Accident	3	0.60%
20	Homicide/Death Investigation	2	0.40%
21	Wanted Person (Arrest Warrant/Fugitive)	2	0.40%
22	Material Witness	1	0.20%

LPR Transparency Portal

Click here to visit the Phelps County Sheriff's Dept Transparency Portal

Phelps County MO SO uses Flock Safety technology to capture objective evidence without compromising on individual privacy. Phelps County MO SO utilizes retroactive search to solve crimes after they've occurred. Additionally, Phelps County MO SO utilizes real time alerting of hotlist vehicles to capture wanted criminals. In an effort to ensure proper usage and guardrails are in place, they have made the below policies and usage statistics available to the public.

Looking Ahead

Technology keeps changing, and law enforcement has to keep up with it. New tools — like artificial intelligence, drones, and better body-worn cameras — will keep raising important questions about privacy. Lebanon Police believe our community shouldn't have to choose between safety and freedom. You should be able to expect both.

LPR Transparency Portal