Flock Cameras Spur Privacy Debate as Dozens of Cities Pull Plug on the Tech

More and more cities are reconsidering the use of of automated license plate readers amid rising backlash over privacy concerns.

ALPR companies such as Flock Safety have received major backlash from the public—with approximately 23 city councils across the United States canceling, rejecting, or deactivating Flock’s ALPRs within their jurisdiction, the Washington Examiner reported.

ALPRs aren’t your typical automated traffic enforcement camera. Instead of being triggered by a specific action, such as running a red light, ALPRs are endlessly tracking and recording everything that enters their range of vision.​

An AI algorithm then registers “the make, model, color, license plate number, bumper stickers, and even scratches” of the vehicle before uploading that data into a nationwide mass surveillance system that any law enforcement agency with an ALPR contract can access, a recent American Civil Liberties Union report claimed.

ALPRs have raised major data sharing, surveillance, and privacy concerns, especially since the use of the cameras has garnered little regulation or oversight on how the collected information can be used.

While Flock Safety, the largest ALPR company, was founded in 2017, the use of Flock cameras has rapidly expanded in recent years. With that, the public is beginning to witness how these devices may be used to cause more harm than good.

On Thursday, ABC News reported that a North Carolina police officer had been arrested after she was caught allegedly using Flock camera systems to track her boyfriend’s ex-wife.

It was revealed that Elizabeth Snowman, 36, had accessed the system 31 times for personal use, at least two of which were when she was off duty, after the Mooresville Police Department ran an audit of its Flock license plate reader system.

“This is frustrating and aggravating,” Mooresville Police Chief Ron Campurciani said at a news conference. “Officers have to put in the reason for why they’re using the Flock cameras, why they are tracking this vehicle.”  

Snowman had allegedly documented most of her trackings as motor vehicle infractions. While Snowman was charged with illegally accessing computers and is scheduled in court on Aug. 27, her case is not the only cause for concern at the Mooresville Police Department.

The department is currently investigating 10 other potential misuse cases involving the Flock system, three of which “look like they could be problematic,” Campurciani said.

“Any misuse is unacceptable and responsible technology should help bring it to light,” Flock Safety said in a statement. “When public safety technology is used the right way, it helps solve serious crimes and protect communities. When it is misused, Flock’s Audit Assistance helps expose it.”

Campurciani even noted that, moving forward, officers are required to attach a case number to verify why they are using the cameras. However, these regulations appear to have offered no comfort to critics of the cameras, some of whom have even resorted to vandalizing the devices.

According to an intelligence bulletin reviewed by ABC News, various law enforcement agencies have been warned of the possible destruction and vandalism of Flock cameras in the coming weeks, as activists have named Aug. 16–22 the National Week of Action Against ALPRs.

Law enforcement has been encouraged to boost patrols around Flock cameras. Dozens of Flock cameras have already been vandalized in the Dallas and Garfield County, UT, areas, ABC News reports.

According to WFAA, Dallas alone has reported 25 intentional Flock camera-related incidents since March. Before 2026, the Dallas Police Department had observed only a handful of isolated incidents involving Flock cameras over the past three years.

“People have every right to make their voices heard, but criminal acts should never be part of that process,” Flock Safety said in a statement. “Damaging public safety equipment ultimately hurts the very communities this technology is there to help protect.

“Our technology helped investigators locate the Brown University mass shooting suspect, even after he changed license plates,” Flock Safety continued. “When a camera is taken offline, an investigative lead can disappear, and a time-sensitive alert tied to an AMBER Alert, a missing-person case, or a violent crime suspect on the move may never reach the officers who need it.”

However, while Flock cameras have been used to solve serious crimes, they have also triggered serious mishaps.

In July 2025, CBS News released a report that exposed various situations in which ALPRs have made severe errors—several of which resulted in bystanders being arrested or held at gunpoint due to a misreading of license plates.

In November 2025, CBS News reported that a woman was wrongfully accused of theft because of Flock data that wasn’t properly reviewed. Additionally, police officers in Lenexa, KS, have been accused of using an ALPR to pursue a man who had written a critical op-ed on the department’s involvement in local ICE raids, the ACLU reported in February.

There are approximately 120,000 Flock cameras installed in both urban and rural areas across the U.S., yet less than 1% of vehicles scanned by the gadgets are actually involved in any crimes or wrongdoings, the ACLU report claims.

Moreover, in the scan of 1 in 10 license plates, Flock cameras misread the state, causing crucial mishaps in identifying suspects, according to the report.

Twenty-two states currently have ongoing advocacy against ALPRs through ACLU’s state affiliates.