Flock License Plate Readers Used Inappropriately by Police; Privacy Concerns Multiply
Flock Safety's automated license plate reader cameras have been deployed across the U.S. by thousands of police agencies, but officers have repeatedly misused the technology to track individuals without warrants, violating constitutional protections. California and other jurisdictions have moved to restrict the technology's use and implement tighter oversight.
What happened
At least 230 California police and sheriffs' departments have deployed Flock Safety automated license plate reader cameras, which capture and read vehicle plate numbers in real time and cross-reference them with law enforcement databases.
California officers have repeatedly violated a state law prohibiting sharing license plate data with federal authorities and others outside the state. Eighteen Georgia officers were arrested for misusing Flock data, including a police supervisor who used the camera system to track her boyfriend.
Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs paused a planned $1 million installation of 270 Flock cameras over concerns that the technology violates Fourth Amendment protections against unreasonable search and seizure and enables blanket surveillance of citizens.
Reported impact
The devices have helped law enforcement locate stolen vehicles, catch suspected murderers, bank robbers and hit-and-run drivers, and locate a wildland arsonist.
Critics cite documented misuse of license plate data to stalk or harass innocent people. The technology raises constitutional concerns about warrantless location tracking of law-abiding citizens.
Index analysis
Flock Safety has deployed its cameras to more than 5,000 police agencies nationwide with nearly 90,000 cameras in operation since 2018, according to DeFlock, an activist group tracking the company's expansion.
The company has faced criticism for lack of transparency about camera capabilities and for enabling mass surveillance capabilities. California lawmakers have sought since 2019 to restrict how police use the technology, attempting to add limits on data retention, access and sharing.
Governance controls
California has an 11-year-old state law prohibiting sharing license plate data with federal authorities and others outside the state, which has been repeatedly violated by officers. California Democratic lawmakers introduced legislation to add further limits on how long police may retain license plate data, how they access it, and with whom they share it; a similar bill was vetoed by Governor Gavin Newsom last year.
The 2018 Supreme Court ruling in Carpenter v. United States found that police need a warrant to access location data that reveals a person's movements over time.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.