Right to privacy

A Chesterfield County, Virginia police intelligence investigator, Rebekkah Robinson, was arrested after coworkers reported she was allegedly misusing the department's Flock automatic license plate reader (ALPR) system and police databases. She faces two counts of computer invasion of privacy and two counts of violating state ALPR law; her system access was revoked and she was placed on unpaid administrative leave.

The arrest follows other recent ALPR misuse cases in Virginia, including incidents in Richmond and Henrico County, and has prompted renewed legislative scrutiny. State Sen. Mike Jones (D) is drafting bills requiring warrants for ALPR data access and decertifying officers who misuse the systems, while opposing an outright ban in favor of local control. Sen. Glen Sturtevant (R) plans to introduce legislation banning Flock-style cameras statewide, arguing against a "surveillance state." Richmond's mayor has already shortened the city's ALPR data retention policy, and Chesterfield's police chief has ordered a 30-day review of department systems.

St. Johns County, Florida commissioners approved a tentative flat property tax rate during a budget hearing that turned into a public debate over automated license plate readers. Sheriff Rob Hardwick's proposed budget increase includes $3.9 million for deputy raises, which he said would give more than 420 deputies below sergeant a roughly $9,000 pay bump and fund five additional positions. Commissioners heard extensive public comment on Flock cameras, with residents citing civil liberties and Fourth Amendment concerns and questioning costs and accountability.

The debate comes after the Florida Department of Transportation revoked permits for license plate readers on state roads, prompting questions about the fate of county-installed cameras and roughly $500,000 earmarked for related software, which Hardwick said could be redirected to jail monitoring technology if the program is shut down. Cameras remain on county roads for now, and Hardwick pointed to ongoing conversations with state lawmakers and the governor's office about the technology's future beyond his tenure. The debate mirrors a broader national backlash against license plate readers, with hundreds of cities and agencies ending contracts with vendors like Flock Safety amid privacy and misuse concerns. The next budget hearing is set for September 15.

Reps. Joaquin Castro and Greg Casar held a San Antonio press conference urging six Bexar County municipalities — Hollywood Park, China Grove, St. Hedwig, Balcones Heights, Sandy Oaks, and Von Ormy — to end their 287(g) agreements with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The agreements, entered under the Task Force model, let trained local police question people about citizenship status during patrols, access ICE databases, and arrest suspected undocumented immigrants.

Castro accused ICE of racial profiling and called the agency "rogue" and "abusive" under the Trump administration, citing conditions at the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, which he has visited repeatedly and wants closed. He also suggested financial incentives, not just policy, are driving cities to sign on. Casar called on mayors to stop enrolling police in federal immigration enforcement. Texas law requires counties operating jails to participate in 287(g), a provision dating to 1996 legislation signed by President Bill Clinton, complicating efforts to unwind local participation.