Bipartisan backlash grows against nationwide Flock license-plate cameras

Flock’s license-plate camera network, claimed to number 120,000 units across the United States, records every vehicle’s plate and stores movement data for law-enforcement use. While police chiefs cite the technology’s role in solving over a million investigations in 2025 and locating missing persons, civil-rights groups argue it creates a pervasive surveillance state. Anti-Flock activism has coalesced around groups like DeFlock, started by conservative Brian McKellar in Idaho Falls after learning his local police were using the system.

Reports of police officers abusing the database for personal stalking, as well as high rates of erroneous alerts—71% of stolen-vehicle warnings in Roseville, California—have fueled public anger. The cameras have been vandalized or destroyed at least 33 times in 23 states, and a New Mexico man was arrested for defacing three units. Legislative responses include California’s Senate Bill 1013, mandating training and audit logs, and a Kentucky proposal by Thomas Massie to withhold funding from jurisdictions that deploy Flock cameras. Experts warn the practice raises serious Fourth Amendment concerns.