ABC News reported on September 1 that Flock cameras have drawn pushback in towns large and small across red and blue states. Politico, which ABC cites, found that more than 50 cities and counties have canceled or deactivated automated license plate readers of the kind Flock makes this year.
Which places have acted?
- Florida: On Monday, the state transportation office revoked local law enforcement's ability to put license plate readers on state highways, ABC reports.
- Texas: Gov. Greg Abbott paused state funding for Flock cameras last week, ABC says.
- Pennsylvania: Gov. Josh Shapiro said he would welcome a bipartisan bill to ban Flock cameras in the state.
- Congress: Sen. Josh Hawley, a Missouri Republican, opened an investigation into Flock Safety and sent the company an open letter asking for internal documents.
What is the criticism?
ABC News reports that part of the concern comes from misuse. A police officer in Kentucky was arrested last week, after authorities alleged he used Flock cameras to track his ex-girlfriend more than 2,000 times. In Savannah, Georgia, six police employees were fired in August over alleged abuse of the cameras, according to the local ABC affiliate WJCL.
The Institute for Justice, a libertarian law firm, says it has identified more than 100 incidents of ALPR abuse, including stalking and wrongful stops.
Jay Stanley of the ACLU calls it "the biggest, most grassroots privacy backlash" he has seen in more than 20 years. Evan Greer of Fight for the Future, which campaigns against Flock, wants a nationwide ban.
What do Flock and its defenders say?
Flock says its cameras capture a vehicle's plate and characteristics as it passes, and that they do not identify the people in the car or record continuously. In August, the company made seven days its default data-retention period, down from 30, and added an "Evidence Mode" for preserving data in active investigations.
Flock Safety did not respond to ABC News' request for comment. Kenneth Gray, a lecturer at the University of New Haven, told ABC that cameras can help solve cases, and that a series of them can show where a car travels.
How many cameras are there?
According to crowdsourced data from DeFlock.org, more than 135,000 automated plate readers have been identified nationwide. Four of every five are made by Flock Safety. The company says its cameras operate in 49 states.
ABC reports that Flock cameras have been vandalized in at least 36 states, citing NPR's reporting from last month.
What changes for drivers?
The cancellations and state actions cover only the places that made them. A city or county that ends its contract removes its own cameras. Florida's action covers state highways. Cameras run by a neighboring city, a county, a business or a homeowners association are not part of these votes.
Use the camera map to see what is installed near you, and how plate readers work for background on what the cameras capture.
What is still unknown?
- ABC News does not say which 50 or more places Politico counted.
- It does not give a deadline for Hawley's request for documents.
- It does not say whether the Pennsylvania bill has been introduced.
The next public step is Hawley's investigation. His letter asked Flock for internal documents, and ABC News does not report a response date.