By MES Dispatch Staff
The Briefing
- The Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism held a hearing Sept. 23 examining automated license plate reader networks, data-sharing practices and whether officers should need a warrant to search historical location data.
- Pinal County, Ariz., Sheriff Ross Teeple, who ended his agency’s Flock Safety contract in 2025, urged Congress to preserve basic plate-reading capabilities while setting clear limits on expanding AI features.
- A Florida woman, Lindsey Isaacs, testified that she spent 13 days in jail after Flock data was used in a fatal crash investigation, despite a vehicle-color and damage mismatch; the state later declined to prosecute her.
- Witnesses split on remedies: the Institute for Justice called for warrant requirements on historical location searches, while the ACLU advocated barring ALPR use by agencies receiving federal funding.
- CEOs of Flock, Axon Enterprise, Motorola Solutions and Verkada were invited but did not testify; Subcommittee Chairman Josh Hawley, R-Mo., said Flock CEO Garrett Langley responded in writing. The hearing record remains open through Sept. 30.
WASHINGTON — Senators from both parties raised concerns about the expanding capabilities of automated license plate reader networks during a Sept. 23 hearing, while a Arizona sheriff urged lawmakers to preserve the technology’s core law enforcement uses.
The Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism hearing examined how ALPR systems collect and share vehicle data, and whether officers should need a warrant to search historical location information. Pinal County Sheriff Ross Teeple told lawmakers that basic plate-reading technology remains valuable. “Automatic license plate readers are a great tool,” Teeple said. “Technology that is strictly limited to reading a license plate helps us solve crimes, catch dangerous criminals and find missing people.” He cited a Pinal County case in which an ALPR helped identify a driver who rammed a woman’s vehicle into oncoming traffic, killing her.
Much of the hearing focused on how ALPR systems have expanded beyond single-plate detection to link camera data across jurisdictions, allowing users to search a vehicle’s recorded history over time. “If my deputies need a search warrant to put a physical tracker on a vehicle, where is the line for camera systems that build an identical AI-driven map of a citizen’s life?” Teeple asked. He ended Pinal County’s contract with Flock Safety after taking office in 2025, saying his deputies had used the technology properly but that he grew concerned after a company representative initially told him its cameras did not use artificial intelligence, before Flock later described using AI to create a digital “fingerprint” of vehicles. “We must establish clear statutory boundaries for automatic license plate readers,” Teeple said. “We cannot wait for a future Supreme Court ruling to correct AI overreach.”
Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., cited Alabama cases in which ALPRs helped locate missing children and an older adult with dementia. “I think two things can be true at the same time,” Britt said, calling for both effective tools and Fourth Amendment protections.
Witnesses differed on remedies. Alasdair Whitney of the Institute for Justice urged Congress to require warrants for searches of historical location data while preserving officers’ ability to act in time-sensitive cases. “None of these restrictions would stop law enforcement from finding a missing child or a stolen car,” Whitney said. “We’re not asking for you to turn the cameras off.” Chad Marlow of the American Civil Liberties Union instead advocated barring ALPR use by law enforcement agencies that receive federal funding.
Florida resident Lindsey Isaacs testified that she spent 13 days in jail after a Flock camera captured her black Dodge Durango several miles from a crash that killed three people. Police alleged her SUV had damage consistent with the collision, but Isaacs said impound-lot photographs showed no such damage, and the vehicle involved in the crash was maroon. The state declined to prosecute her, and another person was later charged.
Cybersecurity researcher Benn Jordan testified about vulnerabilities he and other researchers identified in some Flock equipment, calling the company a “canary in the coal mine” as competitors including Axon Enterprise and Motorola Solutions develop similar technology. He said Flock has since invited outside researchers to review its systems and called for independent security testing requirements for companies collecting surveillance data on behalf of law enforcement. Flock has announced a recommended seven-day default data retention period for new customers, along with mandatory multifactor authentication and case-code requirements for searches.
The CEOs of Flock, Axon Enterprise, Motorola Solutions and Verkada were invited to testify but did not appear. Subcommittee Chairman Josh Hawley, R-Mo., said Flock CEO Garrett Langley responded in writing, acknowledging that customers control their own search records and retention settings and confirming that people appearing in Flock camera images can be searched. The hearing record will remain open through Sept. 30 for additional statements and written questions.