U.S. political candidates and state officials from both major parties announced bans, funding freezes, or reviews of Flock Safety license plate cameras in September 2026, citing privacy abuses and misuse. The American video surveillance company tightened its data retention policies during scrutiny over its lobbying activities and operational practices.

Candidates from both major political parties are campaigning on issues related to Flock cameras in the 2026 midterm elections. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro stated he supports a statewide ban on the technology. Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity stated that Flock cameras are an intrusive invasion of privacy and should be banned.

"Flock cameras are an intrusive invasion of privacy and they should be banned," Garrity said. Wisconsin Democratic gubernatorial nominee David Crowley issued an order limiting the use of Flock cameras in Milwaukee County. He stated he would implement strict transparency and accountability laws regarding surveillance if elected governor of Wisconsin.

"I will implement strict transparency and accountability laws that ensure Wisconsinites are not spied on," Crowley said. Wisconsin Republican gubernatorial nominee Tom Tiffany stated he would pause state funding for Flock cameras. Tiffany stated he would create a task force to establish stronger privacy protections, penalties for misuse, limits on data retention and sharing, and safeguards against foreign adversaries.

Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee paused the installation of new Flock cameras before the state’s September 9 primary, citing privacy and transparency concerns. Texas Governor Greg Abbott froze state funding for Flock devices. Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico declared that "Flock cameras have no place in Texas."

"Flock cameras have no place in Texas," Talarico said. Michigan Democratic House candidate William Lawrence called Flock cameras "the most un-American thing I can imagine." U.S. Senator Josh Hawley launched an investigation into Flock’s data collection policies. U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders pledged to introduce legislation to halt Flock and similar companies.

Flock Safety sells AI-powered automated cameras that record license plates and other characteristics of passing vehicles. The company states its cameras are operating in 6,000 communities in every U.S. state except Alaska. Flock Safety states it has more than 120,000 cameras in use across 49 states. The company also manufactures and operates gunfire locator systems in addition to automated license plate recognition and mass video surveillance.

Flock Safety allows law enforcement agencies to search and share data captured by its cameras. Reports have documented police officers misusing Flock technology to stalk personal connections, including former romantic partners. A Kentucky police officer allegedly tracked his ex-girlfriend more than 2,000 times using Flock technology. An officer in Revere, Massachusetts, tracked his former girlfriend and family’s whereabouts using Flock technology.

Flock Safety admitted that immigration officials had access to its data. More than 100 jurisdictions have canceled their contracts with Flock Safety. Scores of cities and local governments have rejected or canceled Flock contracts or deactivated cameras since the start of 2026. Knox County, Tennessee Mayor Glenn Jacobs led a campaign to cancel the county’s contract with Flock Safety.

The mayor of Tempe, Arizona, ended the city’s contract with Flock and turned off cameras on August 26. The Florida Department of Transportation ordered the removal of automated license plate readers from state highway rights-of-way. Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes announced a review of Flock and other camera networks. On September 2, 2026, the Milwaukee Police Department announced that access to the Flock camera system would be restricted to supervisors and the technology would only be used for certain crimes, including Part I crimes and critical missing persons cases.

On September 3, 2026, Flock Safety CEO Garrett Langley announced that the company would shorten its default data retention period from 30 days to seven days unless flagged as part of an active investigation, require a case code for every search, and implement a tool by the end of the year to automatically flag abnormal search behavior. Flock Safety reduced its default data storage period from 30 days to seven days in August. The company implemented a requirement for law enforcement customers to use a system that detects abnormal use. Flock Safety implemented a lockout feature that suspends access when activity meets criteria for abnormal behavior.

MoMo Zhou is the vice president of communications at Flock Safety. "We ask anyone weighing in on this issue to engage with the facts and the record: the crimes solved, the families reunited, the safeguards already in place, and what our technology actually does," Zhou said. "We ask them to work with the communities using this technology to decide what rules should govern it and not to spread misinformation or ban a critical public safety tool outright that is helping to make communities safer." Flock Safety states its technology helped solve approximately one million crimes in 2025. The company states its technology helped reunite roughly 10,000 missing people with their families.

Michael Soyfer is an attorney for the Institute for Justice. "We’ve seen candidates running on banning them, cutting off funding, or requiring warrants. That’s a credit to activists across the country who have raised concerns about their use," Soyfer said.

President Donald Trump stated his administration was studying the issue of Flock cameras. U.S. Representative Tom Barrett is a co-sponsor of legislation intended to ban federal agencies from using Flock cameras. U.S. Representative Ro Khanna is cosponsoring a bill with U.S. Representative Thomas Massie to prevent federal funds from being used to purchase Flock cameras. Florida Democratic Senate candidate Angie Nixon’s campaign is selling merchandise opposing Flock cameras.

Why It Matters

The wave of political action against Flock Safety coincides with documented instances of technology misuse and corporate lobbying expenditures. With more than 100 jurisdictions canceling contracts and scores of local governments deactivating cameras, the debate centers on balancing public safety claims with privacy rights. Flock Safety operates its systems under contract with neighborhood associations and private property owners, in addition to law enforcement agencies, expanding the scope of surveillance beyond traditional police use.

Timeline

By 2009, roughly one-third of U.S. police departments used automatic license plate readers. Flock Safety was founded in 2017 by Garrett Langley. By 2020, two-thirds of U.S. police departments used automatic license plate readers.

Axon has donated $225,000 to Democratic and Republican attorney general groups since the start of 2023. From 2022 to 2024, Flock Safety gave $20,000 to the Democratic Mayors Association and $10,000 to the Community Leaders of America. Since the beginning of 2025, Flock Safety increased its donations to partisan groups representing mayors, attorneys general, and governors by 700 percent compared to the previous three years.

What's New

On September 4, 2026, the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) announced that it would begin limiting access to data from its automated license plate readers (ALPRs) to agencies with signed agreements, following Gov. Greg Abbott's order to block state agencies from spending money on Flock cameras.

Flock Safety cameras conduct approximately 2 billion scans per month. On September 3, 2026, Democratic candidate for governor David Crowley stated that he would implement strict transparency and accountability laws to ensure Wisconsinites are not spied on, following his directive to limit the usage of all Flock camera systems in Milwaukee County. Flock Safety has spent more than $2 million on state and federal lobbying since the start of 2025.

How Sources Differ

Polling data indicates that approximately 46% of Americans oppose automatic license plate readers being used in their community.