If you’ve driven through a busy intersection lately and noticed a camera on a pole with a solar panel, you’re not alone. Across the country, Automatic License Plate Readers (ALPRs) are popping up in neighborhoods, parking lots, and roadways. Law enforcement agencies are adopting them quickly, but they’re not the only ones. Homeowner associations and private retailers are also getting in on the action.
One company, Flock Safety, dominates much of the market. Their cameras don’t just capture license plate numbers—they can also identify bumper stickers, roof racks, and other vehicle details. In many ways, it’s the kind of high-tech boost police departments have been asking for.
In my small county just south of Tallahassee, our sheriff recently used grant money to install 25 cameras throughout the area. To his credit, Wakulla County Sheriff Jared Miller went to the media and explained the program publicly.
That transparency matters, because reactions from the community have been mixed. Some residents are excited, believing more crimes will be solved. Others worry about government overreach and civil liberties.
Both sides have a point. From a public safety standpoint, the benefits are obvious. Stolen cars, hit-and-run drivers, and vehicles tied to Amber Alerts can all be identified faster. ALPR technology is often called a “force multiplier,” giving smaller police departments the ability to do more with fewer officers.
When criminals know they can be tracked more easily, that’s a deterrent. And when law enforcement gets timely data, it means dangerous people are taken off the streets more quickly. That’s a win for communities that are tired of repeat offenders slipping through the cracks.
But technology like this also raises serious privacy questions. In Norfolk, Virginia, a lawsuit is challenging the city’s installation of 172 Flock cameras. The plaintiffs in the case argue their constitutional rights have been infringed through warrantless searches of an individual’s movements. A federal judge pointed to Carpenter v. United States, a Supreme Court case that recognized the dangers of tracking people’s movements for extended periods.
It’s also important to note that Flock Safety recently halted operations with federal agencies because of ongoing concerns among officials in Illinois and other states. Flock is developing distinct permissions and protocols in their system to ensure local compliance for any federal inquiries, and federal agencies will no longer be able to make blanket national or statewide searches.
Florida has set some boundaries, passing laws that specify ALPRs should only be used for active criminal intelligence or investigations. The state also created a records-retention schedule, requiring that license plate images be deleted within three years unless they’re tied to a criminal case.
But even that three-year window is much longer than the 90-day retention policies for police body-worn camera footage.
Florida’s Criminal and Juvenile Justice Information Systems Council released state uniform guidelines to address the usage of ALPR’s. The policy states “Every Florida law enforcement agency that uses or possesses an ALPR should implement and enforce a policy that regulates the operation and use ALPRs and the usage, storage, access, and retention of ALPR data.”
However, these are only guidelines. The Legislature has an opportunity to build on them by creating clear statutory standards for acceptable use. Lawmakers could also revisit how long this data is retained to ensure it aligns with both public safety needs and privacy protections.
Conservatives know that safety and liberty are fundamental rights for every American. As with many new technologies, the challenge is to harness the benefits without eroding constitutional protections.
At the end of the day, no one disputes that ALPRs are powerful tools. They will help solve crimes and even save lives. But unchecked surveillance is never consistent with conservative values of limited government and individual liberty.
The solution is not to abandon the technology but to set commonsense guardrails—ensuring law enforcement has the tools they need while protecting the freedoms we cherish.
Click here to read Cochran’s latest research on this issue: Emerging Technologies in Law Enforcement, authored by Christian Cochran, Florida Director of Right On Crime.
Photo Credits: Flock Safety