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Gone quiet · last update Oct 5, 2026 / Florida

The backlash against Flock's license plate reader cameras

Overview · reviewed October 21, 2026

In 2026, Flock Safety's network of automated license plate reader cameras, which the company says serves more than 5,000 law enforcement agencies, faced a backlash from both parties.[1][2] Police officers were charged with using it to track partners and others, and cities and states canceled or restricted its use.[3][4] Sen. Josh Hawley opened an investigation, while President Donald Trump said he liked the cameras.[5][6]

Read the timeline

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Police officers were charged with using it to track partners and others, and cities and states canceled or restricted its use.[3][4] Sen. Josh Hawley opened an investigation, while President Donald Trump said he liked the cameras.[5][6]

Coverage over time

Share of tracked outlets · weekly (UTC)

Week of 2026-07-06 (UTC): 1%, 3 of 560 tracked outlets (1 left, 1 center, 1 right)Week of 2026-07-13 (UTC): 1%, 8 of 559 tracked outlets (2 left, 4 center, 2 right)Week of 2026-07-20 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-07-27 (UTC): 2%, 13 of 561 tracked outlets (0 left, 12 center, 1 right)Week of 2026-08-03 (UTC): 3%, 15 of 537 tracked outlets (4 left, 9 center, 2 right)Week of 2026-08-10 (UTC): 15%, 84 of 545 tracked outlets (19 left, 48 center, 17 right)Week of 2026-08-17 (UTC): 9%, 41 of 464 tracked outlets (6 left, 17 center, 18 right)Week of 2026-08-24 (UTC): 11%, 52 of 466 tracked outlets (8 left, 28 center, 16 right)Week of 2026-08-31 (UTC): 15%, 69 of 475 tracked outlets (18 left, 32 center, 19 right)Week of 2026-09-07 (UTC): 4%, 19 of 480 tracked outlets (6 left, 10 center, 3 right)Week of 2026-09-14 (UTC): 8%, 40 of 480 tracked outlets (11 left, 21 center, 8 right)Week of 2026-09-21 (UTC): 8%, 39 of 479 tracked outlets (9 left, 23 center, 7 right)Week of 2026-09-28 (UTC): 5%, 24 of 476 tracked outlets (2 left, 12 center, 10 right)Week of 2026-10-05 (UTC): 1%, 4 of 479 tracked outlets (1 left, 2 center, 1 right)Week of 2026-10-12 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-10-19 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-10-26 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-11-02 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-11-09 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outlets, so far

LeftCenterRight

Each bar is the share of the outlets on our Left / Center / Right rating scale that we tracked publishing that week which carried reporting on this story, split by the outlets' ratings. We track more outlets now than in the archive, so a share keeps earlier and later weeks comparable. An outlet counts once a week however much it published, and outlets in one ownership or syndication group count as one on each side they appear on. A rating describes the outlet, not the report. A gap means no such reports were collected that week, not that nothing was reported anywhere. Weeks run Monday to Sunday in UTC, so a report published on a Sunday evening in US Eastern time counts in the next week. 5 more outlets off the scale (not rated, or outside the left-right graphs) also reported; they are not in this chart. See them.

Weekly counts, outlets and reports (13 weeks with coverage)
Outlets on the rating scale that carried this story each week, of the outlets tracked that week, newest first
Week of (UTC)LeftCenterRightOf trackedShareReceipts
Oct 5, 20261214 of 4791%
Sep 28, 20262121024 of 4765%
Sep 21, 2026923739 of 4798%
Sep 14, 20261121840 of 4808%
Sep 7, 2026610319 of 4804%
Aug 31, 202618321969 of 47515%
Aug 24, 20268281652 of 46611%
Aug 17, 20266171841 of 4649%
Aug 10, 202619481784 of 54515%
Aug 3, 202649215 of 5373%
Jul 27, 2026012113 of 5612%
Jul 13, 20262428 of 5591%
Jul 6, 20261113 of 5601%

Latest coverage

The newest reporting in this story's record.

  1. Oct 5, 2026 · first reported · Headline from The Conversation US

    Florida’s limited ban on Flock cameras only scratches the surface of widespread surveillance concerns

Background

Flock Safety, an Atlanta-based company, sells cameras that record the license plates and other features of passing vehicles,[7] and says it partners with more than 5,000 law enforcement agencies in 6,000 communities. More than 120,000 of its cameras operate across 49 states.[1] A group of hackers who tore down a camera said it had generated more than a million images in a few weeks.[8] Police call the cameras a valuable tool for solving crimes; critics say the network amounts to warrantless mass surveillance.[2] In August 2026, the company announced new safeguards after reports that the system had been used to target immigrants and people seeking abortions out of state.[7]

Read the full background (2 more paragraphs)

Cases of misuse piled up. A Florida officer was accused of searching the database 717 times to track his estranged wife's car,[9] and a Kentucky officer was arrested after allegedly tracking his ex-girlfriend more than 2,000 times.[10] A San Jose officer was fired for allegedly using the data to help a cousin accused of domestic violence,[11] and five Indianapolis officers were charged in September.[3] A woman spent 13 days in jail after troopers told her a Flock camera had captured her plate near a crash she said she was nowhere near.[12]

Officials in both parties moved against the cameras. Cities and counties canceled their contracts.[13] Texas Gov. Greg Abbott ordered state agencies to stop funding the cameras,[4] Florida ordered them off state-controlled highways,[14] and Gov. Ron DeSantis said the public was right to be concerned.[15] Hawley opened a Senate investigation in August,[5] and in September senators of both parties questioned the technology's threat to privacy.[16] Trump said he understood the privacy worries but added of the cameras, "I like them."[6]

Supporting stories (16)
  1. Flock camera map: How many are in your neighborhood?
  2. It's not just Flock. These cameras, ALPRs may also be in your community
  3. 5 Indianapolis officers charged with misuse of Flock cameras
  4. Abbott pauses state funding as Texas cities ditch Flock cameras
  5. Hawley launches investigation into Flock cameras, citing privacy concerns
  6. Trump weighs in on Flock debate: 'I like them'
  7. Flock will add privacy guardrails to camera systems amid backlash
  8. Hackers rip down Flock camera, steal its data, share findings with media
  9. Florida officer used Flock camera database 717 times to track estranged wife's vehicle, affidavit says
  10. Police officer arrested after tracking ex-girlfriend on Flock camera system over 2,000 times, authorities say
  11. San Jose, California, police officer fired for allegedly sharing Flock camera data with domestic violence suspect
  12. Woman spends 13 days in jail after Flock camera misidentifies her car
  13. Flock contract cancellations grow among cities, other jurisdictions
  14. Florida bans Flock cameras from state-controlled highways
  15. DeSantis Breaks With the GOP on Flock Cameras — Public Is 'Right to Be Concerned' About Surveillance Network
  16. Flock Surveillance Cameras Raise Constitutional Questions, Bipartisan U.S. Senators Say

The full record

Each date is when an update was first reported.

All 88 recorded updates

October 2026

  1. Flock Cameras Are Coming Down – but We Need More To Dismantle the Surveillance StateHeadline from The Fulcrum · 4 outlets
  2. Florida county finds 11 unpermitted Flock cameras with unidentified ownersHeadline from Engadget · 6 outlets

September 2026

  1. El Paso County sheriff discontinues contract with Flock Safety camerasHeadline from KRDO · 2 outlets
  2. Dallas Police Chief to meet Flock's CEO to discuss camera safeguards WednesdayHeadline from NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth · 2 outlets
  3. Progressives unveil legislation cracking down on Flock camerasHeadline from The Hill · 15 outlets
  4. Pausing Flock camera use would have negative effects, Ohio law enforcement saysHeadline from NBC 4 Columbus · 1 outlet
  5. AR mayor says he will cover up city's Flock camerasHeadline from WREG Memphis · 1 outlet
  6. Flock cameras in Forsyth Park vandalized, SPD saysHeadline from WSAV-TV · 2 outlets
  7. Flock cameras are watching some Missouri nature centers. 'It kind of creeps me out'Headline from St. Louis Post-Dispatch · 1 outlet
  8. What do we think about Flock cameras?Headline from St. Louis Post-Dispatch · 2 outlets
  9. Columbus police investigate another officer over alleged Flock camera misuseHeadline from NBC 4 Columbus · 1 outlet
  10. Flock suspended indefinitely in Franklin County after detective accused of misusing cameras: SheriffHeadline from CBS 17 Raleigh · 2 outlets
  11. Flock offers to pay employees to leave — and the backlash gets hotterHeadline from Blaze Media · 2 outlets
  12. As states seek to rein in Flock license plate cameras, NH is considered a modelHeadline from New Hampshire Public Radio · 3 outlets
  13. Fairfax County School Board bans Flock cameras on school propertyHeadline from FOX 5 DC · 2 outlets
  14. Woman spends 13 days in jail after Flock camera misidentifies her carHeadline from News Nation Now · 8 outlets
  15. Philadelphia City Council approves resolution urging state leaders to ban Flock camerasHeadline from 6ABC Philadelphia · 3 outlets
  16. Florida woman wrongfully jailed for 13 days due to Flock cam in tears during Senate testimonyHeadline from WFLA · 2 outlets
  17. Woman Spends 86 Hours In Solitary Confinement Due To Flock Cameras Despite Driving Car Of Different ColorHeadline from Jalopnik · 2 outlets
  18. 5 Indianapolis officers charged with misuse of Flock camerasHeadline from MLive · 12 outlets
  19. Ohio lawmakers take aim at regulating Flock surveillance cameras: Today in OhioHeadline from Cleveland Plain Dealer · 1 outlet
  20. Privacy concerns raised over Abilene's Flock camerasHeadline from Big Country Home Page · 1 outlet
  21. What are Flock cameras, other ALPRs looking for?Headline from The Hill · 6 outlets
  22. Suspected Flock camera vandal walks out of court hearingHeadline from Phl17 · 5 outlets
  23. Pocatello to hold town hall on automated Flock camerasHeadline from Local News 8 · 2 outlets

Coverage & sources

Read the reports, see how much was collected over time, or compare outlets by political leaning.

Coverage & sources →