Nationwide Pushback Grows Over Flock Safety License-Plate Cameras

A wave of protests and vandalism targeting automated license-plate-recognition (ALPR) cameras made by Flock Safety has spread across at least 36 states, prompting more than 50 cities and counties to cancel or deactivate the devices, according to a Politico analysis. Florida’s state transportation office recently revoked local law-enforcement permission to place license-plate readers on state highways, and Texas Governor Greg Abbott paused state funding for the technology.

Critics argue the cameras raise privacy risks and enable police abuse. An ACLU senior policy analyst described the backlash as “the biggest, most grassroots privacy backlash” he has seen in two decades, noting public opposition to mass surveillance. Advocacy groups cite incidents such as a Kentucky officer accused of tracking his ex-girlfriend more than 2,000 times and the firing of six Savannah, Georgia police employees over alleged misuse of the cameras.

Flock Safety, which says its devices operate in 49 states and account for four-fifths of the estimated 135,000 ALPR cameras nationwide, contends the technology aids investigations. The company reports that its cameras helped locate over 10,000 missing people last year and supported roughly one million criminal investigations in 2025. University of New Haven criminal-justice lecturer Kenneth Gray said the system can “put together a pattern of where a particular car goes” and be useful for solving crimes, while acknowledging that it also records data on many innocent motorists.

In response to privacy concerns, Flock Safety announced new safeguards, including a default data-retention period of seven days and an “Evidence Mode” for preserving records tied to active investigations. Advocacy leaders, such as Fight for the Future director Evan Greer, argue that the potential for abuse remains, urging broader restrictions or a nationwide ban. Legal scholars suggest requiring a judicial warrant before law-enforcement accesses camera data to protect Fourth Amendment rights, a view echoed by both Gray and University of North Carolina professor Torin Monahan.

The controversy has drawn bipartisan attention. Republican Senator Josh Hawley announced an investigation into Flock Safety and requested internal documents, while Democratic Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro expressed openness to legislation banning the cameras in his state. The ongoing debate highlights the tension between perceived public-safety benefits and civil-liberty concerns surrounding automated surveillance technology.