As Flock cameras and other surveillance technologies spur controversy, Rhode Island is pausing installation of new cameras and studying their effects.
Gov. Dan McKee on Tuesday called for a statewide pause on the installation and activation of any new automated license plate reader cameras such as Flock, prohibiting state police from installing new cameras for two months and urging cities to do the same.
The technology has brought privacy concerns over nationwide mass surveillance and misuse of data by law enforcement agencies. It has raised concerns among some real estate professionals and homeowner groups, with cameras endlessly tracking and recording movement in some neighborhoods.
McKee ordered a 60-day review of the technology and how it is used. The state would establish uniform statewide standards for the technology and the data it collects. The Rhode Island State Police won’t install any new cameras, but they “may continue to operate” existing ones, the governor said.
“Public safety and personal privacy are not mutually exclusive. Rhode Island needs clear and consistent rules of the road for this technology,” McKee said. “We are taking action now to pause further expansion, examine how these systems are being used across the state, and put strong, uniform safeguards in place to protect both public safety and personal privacy.”
In the meantime, the state’s Department of Public Safety, Rhode Island Police Chiefs’ Association, the Rhode Island League of Cities and Towns and others would help formulate new guidelines.
Flock responded to the controversy earlier this month in a statement to Realtor.com.
“Any misuse is unacceptable and responsible technology should help bring it to light,” the company said. “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.”
Surveillance and safety
The ultimate goal, McKee said, was to advance new legislation that codifies more protections and standards for camera use. The state’s legislature returns to session in January 2027.
The Rhode Island Civil Liberties Union estimates there are at least 280 active Flock cameras in the state. While cameras were “virtually unregulated,” the snowballing backlash over cameras led several cities, including North Kingston, Glocester, Narragansett and South Kingston, to cancel Flock Safety contracts. Another city, Tiverton, approved a contract for four cameras but with a termination clause.
Flock has responded to the ballooning controversy with community-level disclosures about its activity with each police department. That includes the number of cameras, data retention, searches and which databases, such as the National Crime Information Center or Amber Alerts, those cameras track.
In Providence, for instance, 60 cameras have detected 664,000 vehicles in the last 30 days, drawing 6,450 hits to crime databases.
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Tristan Navera is a senior reporter on housing policy, covering trends and solutions in the housing market from Washington, DC. He was previously a senior reporter at Bloomberg Law, and before that covered real estate for the Washington Business Journal. Earlier in his career, he spent a decade reporting on business and real estate in Dayton and Columbus, OH. A Cincinnati native, he holds a journalism degree from Ohio University.
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