Hillsborough's Police Technology, Explained

What the cameras are

Hillsborough’s police use automated license-plate recognition (ALPR) cameras made by Flock Safety. A camera photographs passing vehicles, reads the plate and records the time and place. Plates are checked against lists such as stolen cars, wanted people and Amber Alerts, and officers are alerted on a match.

The township’s October 2025 resolution explains why it buys from Flock without bidding. It calls Flock “the sole manufacturer, developer and distributor” of the camera and lists features of the Flock system, including “vehicle fingerprint technology”, a “transparency portal”, “integrated audio detection” and “live video integration”. The resolution lists what Flock offers; it does not say which of these Hillsborough uses. LocalWhy did not find a public Flock transparency portal for Hillsborough.

How it was approved and what it costs

• 2024. The original Flock order is cited on later bills as R-238-2024. LocalWhy has not read that resolution, so its date and first-year amount are not confirmed here.

• October 14, 2025. As Consent #11, the Committee authorized “the Purchase of an Additional 8 (Eight) Flock Safety Automated License Plate Reader Cameras with extended data retention” for $28,000. The resolution says “the Township currently utilizes the system and is in need of additional units.” It was paid from the police budget (account 01-201-25-745-276). Consent items 1–17 passed unanimously.

• August 25, 2026. The bill list included one Flock payment of $82,000 under R-238-2024:

  Line	Amount
  Flock Safety LPR, fka Falcon	$60,000.00
  Extended Data Retention (NJ 3 Years)	$11,500.00
  Flock Safety LPR Flex, fka Falcon Flex	$10,500.00
  Total	$82,000.00

  “Flex” is Flock’s movable camera. The bill list does not say what period the payment covers or how many cameras it pays for.

The Committee’s part has been approving purchases on its consent agenda. The minutes show no discussion of a usage, retention or data-sharing policy for the cameras.

What residents have said

• August 25, 2026. A resident asked about the Flock line item on the bill list. The minutes record the question but not an answer.
• September 22, 2026. Two residents raised concerns about the Flock cameras during public comment. The minutes give only one-line summaries.

The rules that govern the data

Most of the rules come from the state, not the township.

Attorney General Directive 2022-12, in effect since January 23, 2023:

• Retention. “Records and ALPR data covered by this Section shall be retained for three years,” then purged unless tied to an active case. Hillsborough’s August 2026 bill includes a line for “Extended Data Retention (NJ 3 Years)”.
• Searching. Officers may search stored data only for listed purposes, such as a specific crime or a lookout list. Searches “may not be conducted to review data based on general crime patterns,” and every access is logged.
• Ownership. The data belongs to the police agency, “not any ALPR vendor.”
• Placement. Each fixed camera’s location goes to the State ALPR Coordinator before it is installed.
• Audits. Each department audits itself by January 31 every year and certifies “that a random survey of ALPR accesses revealed no misuse.” County and state coordinators may audit at any time.
• Complaints. Citizen complaints go to the County Prosecutor.
• Records. Stored plate data is a “criminal investigatory record,” so it is not released under the Open Public Records Act.

The Privacy Protection Act, P.L.2026, c.4, signed March 25, 2026:

• Agencies may not share plate data except with other government entities “when permitted by law,” under a court order or warrant, with consent, or with out-of-state police for a criminal investigation.
• Out-of-state police must first certify that they will not use the data for civil immigration enforcement or pass it on.
• Sharing agreements are public records.
• Agencies must update their policies and post them on their websites within a year.

Drones, body cameras and other equipment

• Drones. On February 24, 2026 the Committee approved two drones and accessories from Terrestrial Imaging for up to $24,999.91 (R-94-2026). The minutes record that they were paid for with a $5,000 grant and a $20,000 donation. The donor is not named in the minutes.
• Body-worn cameras. On September 25, 2025 the Committee approved a three-year contract with WatchGuard/Motorola at “an annual cost not to exceed $41,693.20” through a state contract, for 60 cameras. Separately, on May 26, 2026 the Committee approved a $35,736 annual payment to Motorola for body-camera video service under an earlier state contract (R-174-2026).
• Other purchases. A records-management system ($82,900, November 2025), 10 Tasers (November 2025), and participation in the federal Defense Logistics Agency 1033 program, which lets police request surplus military equipment (R-50-2026, January 2026). What, if anything, has been obtained through the 1033 program is not in the record.

The station renovation

• January 6, 2026. The Committee authorized bids for interior renovations to the police department (R-21-2026).
• February 24, 2026. It awarded the contract to BGD Contracting for up to $593,000 (R-100-2026), the lowest bid. The resolution lists the three lowest bids: $593,000, $594,000 and $616,000.
• April 28, 2026. Network cabling “for Police Department Expansion”, $28,857.50 (R-150-2026).
• July 28, 2026. Furniture for the expansion, $28,137.60 (R-242-2026).

The record does not say what the renovation covers or when it will be finished.

Arrive Together

On July 28, 2026 the Committee unanimously ratified a memorandum of understanding with Bridgeway Behavioral Health Services of Somerville to join the ARRIVE Together (“Alternative Responses Reduce Instances of Violence and Escalation”) pilot (R-230-2026). Under it, mental-health specialists assist police “when responding to emergency service calls that relate to behavioral health crises.” The resolution says Bridgeway already runs the program with other Somerset County police departments.

What is not known

• How many Flock cameras Hillsborough has, and where they are. No record found gives a total.
• The 2024 contract (R-238-2024): its date, terms and first cost.
• The department’s written ALPR policy, which the 2026 law requires to be posted online within a year.
• Which agencies can search Hillsborough’s plate data, and whether any out-of-state sharing agreement exists.
• Hillsborough’s annual audit results.
• What the August and September 2026 speakers asked for, beyond the minutes’ summaries. The September 22 meeting video is on the township’s YouTube channel.
• The outcome of the October 13, 2026 police accreditation presentation, whose minutes were not yet posted.

What residents can do

• Speak at a meeting. The Township Committee takes public comment at its regular meetings, 7:30 p.m. on November 24 and December 15, 2026, in the courtroom of the municipal building at 379 South Branch Road.
• Request records under OPRA. The plate data itself is exempt, but program records are not. Residents can ask the Township Clerk for:
  • R-238-2024 and the current Flock agreement;
  • the department’s ALPR policy;
  • its annual ALPR audit certifications;
  • the number of cameras and the list of agencies with access to the data;
  • any out-of-state sharing certifications under P.L.2026, c.4.
• Complaints. Under the Attorney General’s directive, a complaint about an agency’s ALPR program goes to the Somerset County Prosecutor.
• Changing the rules. Retention and sharing rules are set by the Attorney General and the Legislature, so a change there, not at the township, would alter how long the data is kept.