Local governments in the U.S. are adopting Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs) from Flock Safety to combat crime, but this has sparked a significant backlash over privacy concerns. Flock's AI-powered cameras capture extensive vehicle data including license plates and physical details, which is stored in a national database accessible by police nationwide. The American Civil Liberties Union reports that Flock has installed more than 120,000 cameras across 49 states. Critics argue the system allows for unauthorized surveillance and federal agency access without local voter consent, leading to incidents where officers misuse the data for personal reasons. In response, citizen protests are increasing, with some physically damaging or dismantling the cameras, and over 200 cities and counties ending their contracts with Flock Safety.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-12,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Local governments across the country are embracing Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs) to fight crime.
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governments → embrace → crime
At the center of this trend is Flock Safety, an Atlanta-based tech startup.
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Safety → base → trend
Flock promises an easy solution to property crime by installing AI-powered cameras on public roads.
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Flock → promise → roads
It sounds like a reasonable upgrade to traditional policing, but a massive backlash is growing over civil liberties and the misuse of public trust.
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backlash → sound → trust
Nearly two decades ago, when I served as the elected president of the Queen Anne’s County Commission in Maryland, our board faced a similar dilemma.
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board → serve → dilemma
A traffic camera company wanted to track speeding vehicles’ license plates in the county, and they also entertained proposing those crossing the Preston Lane Memorial Bay Bridge.
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they → want → Bridge
The pitch focused entirely on safety.
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pitch → focus → safety
However, after listening to principled civil arguments from our constituents about privacy and government overreach, we shut the project down.
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we → listen → project
We chose to protect individual liberty over automated tracking.
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We → choose → tracking
These are not standard traffic cameras that only take photos when a driver runs a red light.
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driver → take → light
Flock cameras use artificial intelligence to capture a unique digital fingerprint of every vehicle.
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cameras → use → vehicle
They log license plates, vehicle color, make, model, bumper stickers, and roof racks.
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They → log → plates
Crucially, this data feeds into a massive national database.
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data → feed → database
A police officer in one state can easily track the movements of a vehicle thousands of miles away.
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officer → track → miles
According to the American Civil Liberties Union, Flock has deployed more than 120,000 cameras across 49 states.
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Flock → accord → states
The system relies on a massive trade-off: the constant, warrantless tracking of millions of entirely innocent citizens.
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system → rely → citizens
This lack of privacy boundaries has led to real-world consequences.
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lack → lead → consequences
Numerous reports show police officers using the network for unauthorized personal surveillance.
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officers → show → surveillance
Officers in multiple states have been investigated or fired after using the database to stalk ex-partners or acquaintances.
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Officers → investigate → partners
Furthermore, the centralized data has drawn fire from both sides of the political spectrum.
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data → draw → spectrum
Local communities have discovered that federal agencies can tap into this data without local voter consent.
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agencies → discover → consent
The Electronic Frontier Foundation warns that these networks create an invasive life-tracking map that is highly susceptible to grave abuses.
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that → warn → abuses
It has turned into a practical rebellion.
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It → turn → rebellion
Across the United States, citizens have begun vandalizing or physically cutting down cameras.
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citizens → begin → cameras
On the political front, the tide is turning just as fast.
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tide → turn → front
Advocacy groups report that over 200 cities, counties, and local governments have terminated their contracts or deactivated their networks.
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cities → report → networks
This resistance cuts across partisan lines.
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resistance → cut → lines
Deep-blue cities like Los Angeles and Cambridge have canceled their contracts.
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cities → cancel → contracts
At the same time, conservative communities and state governments are pushing back.
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communities → push → time
Florida recently restricted local police from deploying these readers on state highways, while cities like Tempe, Arizona, shut down their programs due to public outcry.
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cities → restrict → outcry
In response to this pressure, Flock Safety recently shortened its default data retention period from 30 days to seven days.
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Safety → shorten → days
While this change shows the company recognizes its public relations crisis, it does not solve the core issue.
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it → show → issue
Public safety is a fundamental duty of local government, but it should not require permanent surveillance.
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it → require → surveillance
When technology allows bad actors to stalk citizens and lets federal agencies bypass local oversight, the system is broken.
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system → allow → oversight
The stance we took in Queen Anne’s County twenty years ago is becoming the standard across the nation.
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we → take → nation
As more local contracts come up for renewal, lawmakers face a clear choice: protect the constitutional privacy rights of their constituents, or continue funding a private national surveillance grid.
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lawmakers → come → grid
Eric Wargotz is a policy, analyst and writer, practicing physician, former U.S. Senate nominee, and former elected president of the Queen Anne’s County Board of Commissioners in Maryland.
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Wargotz → practice → Maryland
