In 2022, the cloud-based Automatic License Plate Reader (ALPR or LPR) company Flock announced its pilot program here in Lexington, Kentucky.* As of July 25th, 2025, there are 125 Flock cameras across the city.* These devices photograph the rear of all passing vehicles, then use AI technology to gather those vehicles’ license plate numbers and distinguishing features—including their make, model, color, bumper stickers, and more.† This data is then logged into a searchable database. Flock claims that this creates a “vehicle fingerprint.”

While these cameras have been used for recording violent crime, as well as for locating stolen cars and missing persons, they have also been used by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to target minority communities for the Trump Administration’s abusive removal program.† They have also been used to track people seeking reproductive care in states with restrictive abortion laws.† Flock is currently looking to link its database to commercial data brokers’ “people lookup” tools and similar services.† This expands far beyond their advertised usage and further infringes upon our privacy.

Why is this Dangerous?

The use of Flock cameras leads to an increase in public surveillance and violations of the Fourth Amendment. The Fourth Amendment prevents unreasonable searches and seizures, and sets requirements for the issuing of warrants. By logging every individual’s location, Flock cameras infringe on these civil liberties.

In some locations, Flock cameras are accessible to neighborhood watches, homeowner's associations (HOAs), and even the general public. This leads to a massive breach of security for individuals living in affected areas.

We agree with the ACLU, which acknowledges that some uses of ALPRS can be acceptable, but emphasizes the need for careful controls:

“[...] we do not generally object to using them to check license plates against lists of stolen cars, for AMBER Alerts, or for toll collection, provided they are deployed and used fairly and subject to proper checks and balances, such as ensuring devices are not disproportionately deployed in low-income communities and communities of color, and that the ‘hot lists’ they are run against are legitimate and up to date. But there's no reason the technology should be used to create comprehensive records of everybody's comings and goings — and that is precisely what ALPR databases like Flock's are doing. In our country, the government should not be tracking us unless it has individualized suspicion that we're engaged in wrongdoing.”†

* Lexington, KY Police Department: “License plate readers” webpage.

† ACLU: https://www.aclu.org/news/privacy-technology/flock-roundup