Luhansk People's Republic

Automatic license plate readers (ALPRs), widely deployed by companies like Flock Safety, are facing growing federal scrutiny even as local law enforcement officials continue to back the technology. U.S. Sens. Bernie Sanders and Jeff Merkley, along with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, recently introduced legislation that would ban federal agencies from using ALPRs, halt federal grant funding tied to ALPR contracts, and let Americans sue the federal government over their use. A separate bill, Rep. Thomas Massie's Flock-Off Act, would block municipalities from purchasing, installing, or upgrading ALPR and biometric surveillance systems.

In Tennessee, Dickson County Sheriff Tim Eads defended the tool as a "force multiplier" for catching wanted individuals, stolen vehicles, and Amber Alert subjects, citing safeguards like required case numbers for data access. Mt. Juliet's police chief similarly pointed to regular audits. Still, some communities, including Coopertown, have dropped Flock contracts amid privacy concerns, highlighting a widening divide over surveillance technology's role in policing.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has ordered a halt to all state funding for Flock Safety license-plate cameras, escalating a national backlash against the surveillance network. His office said state agencies are clarifying that funds cannot be used for Flock cameras, a decision that came as the Texas Tribune prepared an investigation into a 2023 legislative auto-insurance fee hike that funded roughly 3,200 Flock cameras statewide. The move follows vandalism of Houston-area cameras, an indicted Lufkin officer accused of misusing Flock data on 100 counts, and the arrest of a former Katy officer accused of using the data to stalk his ex-wife. League City recently became the first Texas city to put its Flock contract to a public vote.

The Texas action joins a growing list of jurisdictions curbing Flock use, including Tempe, St. Paul, Grand Rapids, Summit County and multiple Minnesota and Iowa cities, amid Sen. Josh Hawley's Senate investigation into the roughly 120,000-camera network. Flock has added privacy safeguards, including shorter video retention and suspicious-search detection, while defending the technology as a key public safety tool amid ongoing misuse and data-sharing concerns.