Tempe Ends Use of Flock License-Plate Cameras Over Privacy Concerns
Tempe, Arizona, has deactivated its network of Flock Safety license-plate readers and plans to end the contract, citing risks of misuse.
Tempe, Arizona, announced the shutdown of its 33 Flock Safety license-plate reader units and intends to terminate the agreement with the surveillance firm, citing heightened privacy risks. Mayor Corey Woods recognized that the system aided investigations but argued that the danger of misuse compromises community trust. Police audits reported no wrongful searches, yet a case in Apache Junction, where an officer allegedly used the technology to follow his wife, contributed to the decision.
The devices will remain physically installed until Flock removes them, but they have ceased capturing license-plate information, and stored records are typically purged after 30 days unless tied to an active case. Tempe joins a growing list of cities that have ended or paused contracts with Flock over concerns about data sharing with federal immigration authorities. Other municipalities that have acted since 2025 include Los Angeles, Mountain View, Santa Cruz, Santa Clara County, South Pasadena, Flagstaff, and Hillsborough, North Carolina.
Why it matters
The shutdown highlights growing public scrutiny of surveillance technology and its potential impact on privacy and civil liberties.
How this story developed
- Jul 9 Flock Safety CEO brands transparency group as 'terrorist' amid AI camera controversy
- Aug 8 The Navajo Nation signed a contract to deploy Flock cameras across its reservation.
- Aug 12 Authorities found solar‑panel parts linked to Flock cameras during a search of Sovern’s residence.
- Aug 13 Flock Safety announced it will keep license-plate-reader footage for only seven days and require police to log a case code for every query.
- Aug 13 Former Bibb County sheriff’s deputies were arrested on stalking charges for using Flock license‑plate readers for personal purposes.
- Aug 13 Flock made its audit tool mandatory and reduced the default retention window to seven days.
- Aug 18 Park rangers reported Flock cameras appearing in several national forests.
- Aug 19 West Virginia legislator Chris Anders introduced a bill to ban Flock Safety cameras on constitutional grounds.
- Aug 21 New Bedford Police Department shut down its entire Flock camera system after discovering repeated unauthorized plate searches.
- Aug 26 Texas residents rallied at a Harris County meeting to demand stronger privacy protections for Flock cameras.
- Aug 26 A clerical error in Milwaukee’s Flock camera database led to a gunpoint traffic stop, prompting the driver to hire counsel and submit a notice of claim against the city and police department.
- Aug 26 Legislators have moved to propose bans or funding cuts for Flock Safety’s camera systems.
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