Two suburbs of Phoenix, Arizona, terminated their contracts with Flock Safety on Wednesday, ending their use of automated license plate readers (ALPRs). The city of Tempe and the town of Cave Creek cited concerns regarding data misuse and privacy following reports of unauthorized activity involving the technology in other jurisdictions. Tempe officials stated they would disable all cameras, while Cave Creek reported it had completely removed the system.
Flock Safety operates a network of more than 120,000 cameras across 49 states. The technology records license plate numbers and identifies vehicle characteristics to assist law enforcement agencies in solving crimes. While the company stated that the cameras do not collect biometric or facial recognition data, a Washington Post investigation in early August reported that more than 50 law enforcement officers have been accused or convicted of using the system for unauthorized purposes, such as stalking.
The cancellations come amid broader scrutiny of the company’s data practices. U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) launched an investigation into the firm on Wednesday, citing instances where personal data was allegedly abused. Additionally, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis characterized the increasing use of these readers as "out of control" during a Wednesday press conference, stating that while he supports law enforcement tools, he opposes the creation of a "surveillance state."
The scale of the reported misuse involves dozens of officers and high-frequency searches. In one case cited by Senator Hawley, an officer allegedly used the system to search a former partner's plate number 124 times. Flock Safety recently announced updates to its privacy policies, including "Audit Assistance" to flag abnormal activity and a "proactive lockout" feature to suspend users who exceed a certain threshold of data access. The American Civil Liberties Union, which has multiple pending legal cases against the company, noted the policy changes but stated that their effectiveness would depend on the specific details of the implementation.
The cancellations in Arizona set a precedent for other municipalities evaluating the balance between public safety tools and resident privacy. With more than 120,000 cameras currently operating in nearly every state, the growing number of city-level rejections could impact the reach of the company's shared law enforcement network. The next steps include Senator Hawley’s inquiry to Flock CEO Garrett Langley and ongoing legal challenges from civil rights groups, while the new data guardrails remain subject to administrator review within the participating agencies.